Presidential hopefuls in the opposition coalition party, African Democratic Congress (ADC) have agreed to back whoever emerges candidate of the party ahead of the 2027 election.
This was the outcome of ADC leaders caucus meeting in Abuja yesterday, which also foreclosed the adoption of All Democratic Alliance (ADA) by the party leaders.
The caucus of the party also also ordered all members to resign membership of other political parties even though no timeline was given to that effect.
The meeting which was headed by the ADC national chairman, Senator David Mark, also had in attendance the party’s national secretary, Ogbeni Rauf; national publicity secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Rivers governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
Others are former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; former Kwara governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; former minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami; former secretary to government of the federation, Babachir Lawal, among others.
National leader of Labour Party Peter Obi was absent sent but he gave his commitment to decisions taken.
So far, Atiku, Obi and Amaechi have indicated interest to contest for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of 2027 election.
Disclosing the outcome of the closed-door meeting, the national publicity secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said “The Coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means, they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association.
“All the presidential aspirants have agreed to support whoever wins the primaries election.
“Though a final order has been given to all members to resign membership of other political parties, the Caucus was silent on the timeline.”
He further disclosed that the party’s National Working Committe (NWC) will announce details of its plans for the Osun and Ekiti off-cycle governorship elections.
Earlier, Atiku had commented on the meeting on X handle. He said “I am currently at the stakeholders meeting of the Coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abuja. It’s a meeting of the Nigerian people against the oligarchs who promote poverty and insecurity in the land.”
Meanwhile, Obi was absent because he embarked on a trip to the United States of America.
Commenting on his trip on his X handle, Obi said, “I left Lagos yesterday, the 24th of Sept, for a 3-day trip to the USA, covering Washington and Chicago, with a stopover in Atlanta.
I travelled with Delta Airlines, the first airline in the United States, which has been in existence for over 100 years.
“We arrived at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world. It handles over 100 million passengers annually—about five times the total traffic of all Nigerian airports combined. The airport is owned by the City of Atlanta and generates about $32 billion annually (roughly Nigeria’s 2024 operational budget) for the city, and $70 billion (almost twice Nigeria’s 2025 budget) for the Atlanta metropolitan area and the State of Georgia.
“Atlanta City itself runs on an annual budget of about $3 billion (over ₦4.5 trillion). Its current Mayor, Mr Andre Dickens, was a businessman before going into politics. His key commitments include public safety, tackling crime, creating opportunities for young people, and ensuring a minimum of $15 an hour for council workers. He is estimated to be worth about $10 million.
“Yesterday, after meeting Mayor Andre Dickens, we both travelled on the same flight to Washington. At Atlanta airport, on the plane, and upon arrival at Ronald Reagan National Airport, there was no special announcement of his presence, no aides carrying his bags, and no jumping the queue during boarding or disembarkation.
“In Nigeria, governors—most of whom oversee budgets smaller than Atlanta’s—and even local government chairmen, whose allocations are less than 1% of Atlanta’s, would have constituted a public nuisance with sirens, protocol officers, endless announcements, large entourages, and posters everywhere. Our public conduct and behaviour must change,” he said.