Nigeria’s principal opposition leaders unveiled a landmark coalition on Wednesday aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential elections, according to AP News.
The Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) unites former presidential candidates Abubakar Atiku and Peter Obi, who secured 29% and 25% of the vote respectively in 2023, alongside defectors from the APC, including former Senate President David Mark and ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Mark, serving as interim chairman, declared the coalition would “stop Nigeria from becoming a one-party state,” accusing Tinubu of exploiting state mechanisms to engineer opposition defections to the APC.
The ADC’s emergence responds to mounting concerns over democratic backsliding in a region already threatened by shrinking political pluralism. Tinubu has denied allegations of institutionalising one-party rule, yet recent months witnessed several opposition governors and federal lawmakers defecting to the APC.
The political manoeuvring unfolds against severe economic strain: Tinubu’s abolition of fuel subsidies and floating of the naira currency triggered inflation exceeding 30%, crippling household budgets amid resurgent militant violence.
The coalition’s promise to reverse Tinubu’s “market-driven” policy resonates with Nigerians grappling with tripled electricity tariffs and chronic fuel shortages. Yet policy specifics remain vague beyond pledges to restore social safety nets and review energy privatisations.
