Daud Olatunji
Amid growing political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai are in advanced talks to unveil a new political coalition, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) being considered as the platform of choice.
Multiple sources familiar with the development told PLATFORM TIMES that the trio, alongside other key political actors, met earlier this week to finalize discussions on forming a “formidable” opposition alliance.
While a Bloomberg report suggested that the leaders have unanimously agreed to adopt the ADC as the coalition’s vehicle, conflicting accounts have since emerged, indicating that no final decision has been reached.
> “They have adopted the African Democratic Congress as the coalition party — all of them (Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai) are working together,” one insider told Bloomberg anonymously. “They came to the conclusion last night up till the early hours of this morning. You know politicians meet when we are asleep.”
The insider added that several committees were constituted during the meeting to handle strategic planning and the eventual public unveiling of the alliance.
However, in a counterclaim, another source who attended the same meeting told ARISE News that although the ADC was one of the proposals considered, the coalition leaders are still weighing three possible options. These include: registering an entirely new political party ; adopting and rebranding an existing but less prominent party with a nationwide structure, and settling for the ADC as a ready-made platform.
“Three proposals were presented. We agreed to examine the pros and cons of each option and reconvene on June 30 to take a final decision,” the source stated, insisting that reports confirming ADC’s adoption were “patently false.”
Meanwhile, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, during a recent interview on ARISE News, ruled out the possibility of using the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the coalition vehicle.
“Nobody has considered adopting the PDP as the platform. It is a house with an incurable virus,” Lawal said.
“No antibiotic can cure what is ailing PDP, and we don’t want to go into a house we cannot modify.”
Lawal disclosed that a technical committee made up of legal and political experts is currently studying the feasibility of each proposal.
“We’re nearing the end of the consultation phase. Very soon, we’ll make a formal announcement on the direction we’re taking,” he added.
If finalized, the alliance could reshape the opposition landscape in Nigeria and mount a more unified challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next election cycle.
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