The cloud gathering to stop President Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) from returning to office in 2027 has gotten a further boost with loyalist of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, and those from the opposition parties teaming up to form a coalition that will wrestle power from the APC during the next presidential election in the country.
Although the election may still be 20 months away, the coalition, according to the proponent, is to ensure that APC and Tinubu leave office even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases a timetable for the commencement of the 2027 poll.
With the coalition formed using the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as a Special Purposeful Vehicle (SPV), the 2027 general elections may be tougher for Tinubu and the APC more than they could have imagined considering that the president’s former henchmen were also member of the opposition plotting against his re-election and further implementation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the country’s redevelopment.
The coalition, which came to full fruition on Wednesday, ended over 18 months of discussion and speculations on a political platform that had been put together to challenge the APC and end its 12 years of ruling the country after wresting power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
Though the unveiling ceremony in Abuja suffered delays after owners of the earlier venue backed out midway, forcing politicians to secure another location for the short but elaborate ceremony had in attendance politicians from the North to the Southern region of the country.
Before the unveiling, many Nigerians were aware of the ambition of the ex-presidential candidates of the PDP and Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively, but they were surprised that Tinubu’s henchman and Osun State former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, and his Kaduna counterpart, Nasir El-Rufai, who contested election on the platform of the APC and campaigned for Tinubu during the 2025 election have joined the opposition fighting to sack the party they were founding members.
Others were Rivers State’s former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, APC’s former national Chairman, Odigie Oyegun, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice under Buhari’s administration, Abubakar Malami.
At the unveiling ceremony, Aregbesola was announced as the party’s secretary, ensuring that the APC block that infused into the movement get strategic position while the PDP-led block got the ADC national chairman’s seat with former Senate President, David Mark, securing the seat following Ralph Nwosu’s resignation to allow the new members takeover the opposition party leadership.
Addressing politicians at the venue of the unveiling ceremony, Mark stated that ADC was adopted to unify Nigeria’s opposition and safeguard the nation’s democracy.
The Benue former lawmaker said the coalition’s mission transcends a quest for political power, focusing instead on rebuilding Nigeria’s democratic institutions, which he said are crumbling under the current administration.
“This coalition is not merely about gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the pillars of our democracy and prevent Nigeria’s descent into a one-party state,” he declared.
Mark described the ADC as a “fortress of democratic revival,” pledging to transform it into a platform rooted in inclusivity, transparency, and the rule of law.
“Here, the North shall hold hands with the South, the youth shall find equal footing with the elders, women will be equal partners with men, and the farmer and the technocrat shall labour side by side—not for the triumph of one party over another, but for the triumph of Nigeria herself.
“We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption, a government that disdains accountability in all ramifications. A government more concerned with the next election rather than the survival of ordinary Nigerians,” he added.
Mark called on all Nigerians, particularly young people, women, and victims of insecurity, to rally behind the ADC as part of a historic rescue mission aimed at reclaiming the soul of the nation.
“This coalition is for all Nigerians who believe that our democracy is worth fighting for. It is for youths who face an uncertain future, for families who live in fear of violence, and for all citizens who deserve better,” he said.
He outlined the coalition’s vision: unity over division, service over slogans, action over excuses, and justice over inequity. According to him, the mission is not just about winning the 2027 elections but about safeguarding the nation’s future.
“Let history record that when our democracy faltered, we rose, not in fear, but in faith. The opposition is united. The platform is ADC. The time is now”.
