Road To 2027: Opposition Coalition Picks ADC as Platform

The long-anticipated opposition coalition aiming to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections has officially unveiled the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its unifying political platform. 

Former Senate President, David Mark, was named national chairman, while Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State, was appointed national secretary, and Bolaji Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports and longtime political communicator, was named the coalition’s spokesperson at a high-level strategy meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday and formally unveiled at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. 

The decision to adopt the ADC as the coalition’s platform follows protracted internal crises and factionalism within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), three parties previously considered as possible vehicles for a unified opposition. Disagreements over leadership, ideological direction, and control rendered them untenable for a coalition effort. ADC, seen as a relatively neutral and stable party with minimal baggage, emerged as the compromise choice.

In his acceptance speech, Aregbesola emphasized the need for the coalition to break with the transactional politics that have dominated Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.

“Our political landscape is plagued by parties that lack ideological depth. They are empty shells merging and splitting, not over policy or principle, but over power and personality. There is little regard for the people, and even less for the country,” Aregbesola said. “That is not the kind of party we must be. That is not the kind of party I will serve.”

The coalition formally ratified the appointments and unveiled a working charter on Wednesday. 

This move represents the most concrete step yet in efforts by opposition figures to mount a formidable challenge in 2027. Since the opposition’s defeat in the 2023 elections, top political heavyweights, including Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Labour Party flagbearer, Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, and Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, have been engaged in coalition talks to unite Nigeria’s fractured opposition under one platform. These discussions gained momentum earlier this year as pressure mounted to present a credible alternative to the APC.

The formal adoption of the ADC is now seen as a major milestone in that journey. Reports within the coalition suggest that the Atiku-Obi alliance, long discussed in political circles, may be revived and presented as the coalition’s joint ticket, a combination believed to carry national appeal and electoral weight across the north and south.

Political observers have called the selection of David Mark as interim chairman a strategic move aimed at giving the coalition structure, discipline, and political gravitas. Mark, a retired army general and six-term senator, is widely regarded as a stabilizing force with cross-party respect.

Speaking to TheCable last week, Ralph Nwosu, founder of the ADC, stated that Mark can “provide the required focus and cohesion” for the coalition as it builds toward the 2027 polls.

Still, questions remain about how the new coalition will overcome the same pitfalls that have plagued previous opposition mergers, such as clashing egos, inconsistent messaging, and lack of ideological clarity, but insiders believe the stakes in 2027 are higher than ever and that the coalition has learned from past mistakes.

With the platform now chosen and leadership structure beginning to take shape, the opposition appears poised to challenge the Tinubu administration from a united front for the first time. As the 2027 race begins to take form, all eyes will be on how the coalition balances internal interests, manages its messaging, and engages an electorate increasingly disillusioned with traditional politics.