USAfricaonline had previously reported that the newly formed opposition coalition, comprising prominent political figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and other key leaders, officially adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform during a launch event on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed stated that the ADC coalition mirrors, in part, the political strategy employed by President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2015 elections. However, he pointed out significant differences between the two alliances.
Drawing parallels to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Baba-Ahmed noted that the APC alliance had a clear trajectory, with former President Muhammadu Buhari widely seen as the predetermined candidate long before the party’s primary elections.
“There are structural misgivings in the coalition as it is today. Buhari was the distant anointed from ab initio (referring to APC in 2015). The convener (Tinubu) supported him. He understands that when Buhari leaves, he will become president,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed emphasized that the current ADC-led opposition lacks a clear frontrunner, which could result in an intense and potentially divisive primary contest.
“This opposition does not have a distant anointed (candidate). There will be a very close gap and tight struggle for it (presidential candidate). Possibly, not so clean primary and struggle for it. The question is what will be the aftermath,” he added.
Ref: Daily Trust
