Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise..
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that it does not need a coalition of opposition parties to win the 2027 presidential election, even as it remains open to cooperation with other political groups. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made this clear during an interview on TVC News' Beyond the Headlines on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, just a day after a major opposition summit in Abuja.
"We respect the work the G100 is doing. We think it's noble; we think it's patriotic. But we don't think it's a precondition for us winning the 2027 general election," Abdullahi said. His comments signal a significant divergence from the push for a united opposition front, a strategy that has been championed by many political observers and the G100 initiative, which recently brought together six opposition parties to discuss a common platform.
The G100 summit, held on Monday, August 31, at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja, saw representatives from the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP) begin laying the groundwork for a possible coalition. The proposal included the possibility of a single presidential candidate and a four-year transition government, backed by an enforceable charter.
However, Abdullahi stressed that the four-year single-term proposal was only one of several ideas and had not been adopted as a decision. He maintained that while the ADC welcomes cooperation, its electoral strategy does not hinge on the success of the coalition talks. "We are going to win. We don't need a coalition to win this election," he said.
The ADC's position comes at a time when the opposition landscape has shifted significantly. Abdullahi noted that the party initially supported a broad opposition coalition, but the political situation changed following the departure of key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who are now with the Nigeria Democratic Congress. This development, he argued, has altered the dynamics of the 2027 contest. "When we started building this coalition, we started on the assumption that if we were able to build a broad-based coalition, it would make our job of beating the APC easier. But that didn't pan out the way we expected," he said on Channels Television's Politics Today.
Abdullahi also dismissed comparisons between the 2023 and 2027 elections. He argued that in 2023, Bola Tinubu was a candidate, but in 2027, he will be an incumbent president whose record will be scrutinised by voters. "President Bola Tinubu is now president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He will have had four years that Nigerians have known him," Abdullahi said. He argued that the cost-of-living crisis and other economic issues would play a far greater role in determining the outcome of the next election than they did in 2023. "The issues that concern the people will be pivotal in determining how the election goes in 2027," he added.
Despite the ADC's confidence, the absence of its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, from the G100 summit has raised questions about the party's commitment to opposition unity. The summit was also notably missing NDC candidate Peter Obi and APM candidate Seyi Makinde. Their absence has cast a shadow over the coalition talks, with critics arguing that a divided opposition will only benefit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The G100's leader, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, had earlier warned that the opposition's failure to unite in 2023, where votes were split among major candidates, was a costly mistake.
Abdullahi, however, insisted that the ADC is focused on building a broad-based political structure through grassroots engagement. He identified election monitoring and protecting votes as possible areas of cooperation with other parties, even if a common presidential candidate is not agreed upon. "If we are able to develop a common protocol for election monitoring and for policing our votes, that is major," he said. He also stated that the ADC wants to be part of efforts to rebuild the country and restore public confidence in government.
The ADC's stance is a gamble. It reflects confidence in its ability to win the presidential election independently, banking on the economic frustrations of Nigerians to propel its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to victory. However, it also risks repeating the fragmentation of 2023, where the opposition's inability to unite handed the presidency to the APC.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, the ADC's position is likely to be a central point of contention among opposition parties. The success of the G100 initiative and the broader push for opposition unity will depend on whether the ADC and other parties can find common ground on the issues that matter most to Nigerians. For now, the ADC has drawn a clear line: it is open to cooperation, but it will not depend on a coalition to win.
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