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Atiku-Obi Alliance Appoints Interim ADC Leaders Despite Internal Rejection

Legal disputes over ADC leadership cast doubt on the opposition’s unified platform for Tinubu’s 2027 challenge.

FILE - Nigeria's Labour Party's Presidential Candidate Peter Obi, attends an election campaign rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos Nigeria, on Feb. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)
FILE - Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People's Democratic party, Nigeria's opposition party, during a traditional Friday prayers at the Moddibo Adama Mosque in Yola Nigeria, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, file)
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Overview

  • On July 2, the Atiku-Obi–led National Opposition Coalition designated the African Democratic Congress as its chosen platform for the 2027 presidential race.
  • Former Senate president David Mark and ex-Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola were named interim ADC chairman and secretary after longtime leader Ralph Nwosu stepped aside.
  • A faction led by party publicity secretary Musa Matara rejected the move, accusing the coalition of bypassing ADC’s constitutional procedures and excluding grassroots members.
  • The dissenters pointed to a 2022 court ruling that declared the ADC chair’s tenure lapsed and ongoing post-2023 election legal challenges as grounds for questioning the coalition’s legitimacy.
  • Political analysts warn that without resolving these internal disputes and legal entanglements, the opposition’s bid to unseat President Bola Tinubu risks faltering, despite echoes of the 2015 alliance that ended PDP’s 16-year rule.