December 12, (THEWILL) — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed growing concerns over the possibility of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, reaching a unified agreement to run together in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Arise News’ The Morning Show on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC remained unsure whether the two leading opposition figures could harmonise their ambitions under one platform.
“It is a challenge, a concern to us that Atiku and Obi may not choose to run together”, Abdullahi said, noting that although the proposed alliance was significant, the ADC’s broader political strategy goes beyond the two individuals.
He stressed that the party is still expanding its national presence and has not begun a formal conversation about who its presidential candidate will be.
“But we have maintained that it is not just about Atiku and Peter Obi. Nobody in the ADC is talking about who the presidential candidate will be. We are still establishing our name across the country, but we know it is an issue we still have to deal with”, he stated.
Abdullahi explained that the party would pursue a consensus model for selecting its flag bearer, but where consensus proves difficult, all aspirants, including Atiku, Obi, and others expressing interest, would be allowed to contest.
“The most important thing at this time is that we will engineer a consensus, and if we are not able to do that, we allow everyone to contest. It’s not just about Atiku and Peter Obi; there are others who are interested in running for president”, he said.
Reacting to questions about the strength and preparedness of the opposition heading into 2027, Abdullahi criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of deliberately destabilising rival parties to weaken their chances at the polls.
“The ruling party wants to create a mindset of inevitability that no one would win except them”, he added.
Abdullahi argued that recent defections by political heavyweights to the APC were not driven by confidence in the ruling party, but by fear and political vulnerability.
“These governors going into the APC are not going there because they are happy about what is going on. They are pandering towards vulnerability and looking for an easy way out. It takes courage and character to join an opposition party as a ruling governor, and that is what they lack”, he stated.
Abdullahi further claimed that the ADC has now overtaken the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in relevance within the opposition space, asserting that APC’s disruptive tactics have inadvertently pushed more people toward the ADC.
“Currently, we have overtaken PDP. The ruling APC has done everything to destabilise opposition parties, and it is that destabilisation that has driven people to join the ADC”, he concluded.
As political manoeuvring intensifies ahead of the 2027 elections, the ADC insists it remains committed to building a credible and unified alternative, whether or not the Atiku–Obi pact materialises.
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