Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says the position taken by Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), may threaten the proposed coalition of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Abdullahi spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Daybreak, an AriseTV programme, while explaining why Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, was absent from the G100 opposition summit in Abuja on Monday.
The summit brought together leaders of six opposition political parties — the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), NDC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The opposition coalition seeks to birth a “government of national competence” that would operate for a single four-year transition term after the 2027 general election.
Some presidential candidates, including Donald Duke of the PRP and Adewole Adebayo of the SDP, were present at the event.
However, Atiku and Obi, widely regarded as major opposition contenders in the next presidential election, were absent, raising questions about the viability of the proposed merger.
However, the coalition talk failed to materialise, leading to the defection of Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, his running mate, to the NDC.
DISAGREEMENT ON SUBSIDY
Abdullahi said the disagreement on subsidy policy could undermine the basis of the fresh coalition agenda.
“That’s something the promoters of this coalition will have to address. If Peter Obi doesn’t believe in the return of subsidy while we do, then what would be the basis for a merger?” Abdullahi asked.
He said the ADC was ready to cooperate with other parties that support its position on subsidy.
“For us, it’s non-negotiable. Our economists are examining the numbers in detail, and we’re convinced this is something we should pursue,” Abdullahi said.
He said the ADC firmly backs the G100 coalition move, but noted that supporting the initiative does not mean the party cannot defeat the incumbent on its own.
“I agree with the objective that when opposition parties come together, they stand a better chance. But for us in the ADC, this conversation is not dependent on producing a single presidential candidate,” he said.
“We believe we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 on our own. If we’re able to negotiate this cooperation, it simply makes the job easier.”.
WHY ATIKU WAS ABSENT
Abdullahi said Atiku was absent at the G100 summit because the meeting was focused on cooperation among political parties rather than individual candidates.
“The summit, the way we understand it, is more about conversations between political parties than between candidates. It’s about exploring opportunities for cooperation among political parties,” he said.
“So it’s not consequential that Atiku Abubakar was not present. I was there, the party was highly represented. We had about four vice-chairmen at the G100 summit. ADC was fully represented and participated in the process.”
