In a move that signals renewed efforts to reshape Nigeria’s political opposition landscape, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai have reportedly aligned on a potential platform for a new coalition—though reports of a final decision remain disputed.
Citing a Bloomberg report, sources claim that the trio agreed to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the coalition’s official vehicle during a high-level strategy session held on Tuesday. The meeting, attended by several political stakeholders, is said to mark a significant step toward consolidating opposition forces ahead of future elections.
An anonymous insider familiar with the discussions disclosed:
“They have adopted the African Democratic Party as the coalition party — all of them (Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai) are working together. They came to the conclusion last night up till the early hours of this morning. You know politicians meet when we are asleep.”
The source further revealed that the meeting involved other coalition leaders, who subsequently established working committees to finalize structural and strategic plans.
“All the leaders and stakeholders of the coalition were there. They set up committees to dot the Is and cross the Ts, while preparing the way for the eventual public unveiling of the coalition. But effectively, as we speak, the coalition has been born,” the insider added.
While the coalition has yet to publicly announce a launch date, the source suggested the unveiling is imminent.
Meanwhile, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, confirmed that while coalition efforts are in progress, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is not under consideration as a viable platform.
When asked whether Atiku was planning to shift to the ADC and why PDP was excluded from discussions, Lawal stated:
“In all the analysis I’ve seen so far, nobody has ever bothered about, ‘let’s adopt PDP as the platform.’ We all agree that PDP has an incurable virus. No antibiotic can cure what is ailing PDP, and we don’t want to go into a house that we cannot modify, that is not willing to change. So PDP is not in that list.”
Lawal explained that the coalition’s technical committee had explored two primary options: either to register a brand-new party or adopt and reform an existing one with national appeal.
“Do we get another party that we could move into, modify it, upgrade it, and strengthen it for elections, or do we register a new political party? We have technical committees of experts looking into both of this. And I am sure, as we speak, we are getting to the end of the process, and I think we’ll soon announce a party that we’ll move into, or maybe we’ll register a new party,” he said.
However, conflicting information has emerged from another anonymous participant in the meeting, who told ARISE News that while such deliberations took place, the claim that ADC has been formally selected is “patently false.” The individual confirmed the meeting occurred and included three proposals under consideration by the coalition leaders.
These included:
- Registering a brand-new political party that accommodates all factions.
- Adopting the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a proposal said to have been favored by El-Rufai.
- Embracing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the platform of choice.
“It was decided to look at the merits and demerits of each and decide on which one on the 30th,” the source concluded.
As of now, the coalition has not made any formal public declarations, but political observers are watching closely as the opposition bloc edges closer to a unified front.
