ADC Targets Five Governors as More PDP, APC Leaders Join Opposition Coalition

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), now adopted as the official platform for Nigeria’s opposition coalition, is actively engaging no fewer than five sitting governors ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to insiders familiar with the ongoing political realignments.

Party insiders revealed that the ADC is poised to take advantage of internal crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has already seen some of its governors and key figures tilt toward the new opposition front. Five PDP leaders across five states have already resigned from the party to join the ADC.

On Wednesday, opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Senate President David Mark formally endorsed the ADC as their unified platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming elections.

As part of the restructuring, David Mark and former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, were named Interim National Chairman and Secretary of the ADC, respectively.

Several prominent politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), such as former National Chairman John Oyegun, former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, also attended the event and announced their resignation from the APC to align with the coalition.

Similarly, top PDP figures—former National Chairman Uche Secondus, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, and ex-governors Sule Lamido, Liyel Imoke, Gabriel Suswam, Emeka Ihedioha, Babangida Aliyu, and Sam Egwu—have also thrown their weight behind the alliance.

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory under the Labour Party, was also present at the formal declaration.

Criticism Trails ADC Emergence

Since its unveiling, the ADC’s elevation to the coalition’s central platform has drawn criticism from ruling party officials and political analysts.

PDP Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum issued a warning to members working against the party’s interests, affirming that the PDP leadership remains united.

Meanwhile, pro-Tinubu political commentator and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, dismissed the coalition as a “gathering of rejected politicians and former political office holders.”

Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the APC’s South-East National Vice Chairman, argued that the coalition lacked political strength, especially since no sitting governor had joined its ranks. “The coalition is already starting on a bad footing. The party they have coalesced into is already having issues. Some leaders of the party said they were not consulted and that they don’t want the newcomers. With that, it is obvious that there is already a problem,” he said.

He further described the coalition’s foundation as one built on desperation. “The lowest common multiple of the people driving the coalition is simply desperation for power. It is not about the Nigerian people. All they have in their agenda is how to pull down Tinubu and the APC. They don’t have anything to offer the Nigerian people.”

Arodiogbu also dismissed Emeka Ihedioha’s political relevance, adding that the former governor of Imo State no longer commands electoral strength in the region.

According to him, “One fundamental thing that worked for the [APC] merger was the joining of six sitting governors. And that is not happening now. Instead, the governors are coming to us. If the governors truly believed in the coalition, they would have joined them by now. But the big political forces are not joining them because they do not believe in them.”

A credible ADC source, a former senator from Katsina State, revealed that five PDP governors had already pledged support to the party but were waiting for the outcome of ongoing intra-party tensions, particularly those involving FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

Inside the ADC’s Plans

“Five PDP governors have given us their commitment; they are going to join us, but they want to see the end of Wike’s drama in the PDP. Hopefully, we will meet them by the end of their next convention and review things,” the source said.

He added that some APC governors had also been secretly involved in the coalition’s planning. “We started this coalition planning 18 months ago, and some APC governors were contacted about a year ago. So, they are with us, but I won’t tell you any names.”

Another insider, an aide to a former minister and ex-governor, confirmed that coalition leaders were already in discussions with seven serving governors. However, he declined to specify their political affiliations.

“Why are you interested in knowing the governors we’re talking to? You want us to put everything we’re doing on the pages of a newspaper? No! But I can tell you that we are talking to seven governors, and they are from the southern and northern parts of the country,” he said.

The immediate past National Chairman of the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, when contacted, declined to speak on the alleged governors’ defection plans. “That is a top-secret matter. You can’t hear it from me. If you ask about other matters regarding the coalition, you are very welcome,” he said.

Only last month, a chieftain of the ADC in Plateau State, Dr. Sani Dawop, alleged that as many as seven APC governors were quietly funding the opposition coalition as part of efforts to unseat Tinubu in 2027.

“There are about six to seven APC governors who are funding the coalition. Go and check and do your investigation. There are lots of issues happening, and even within the APC, there are those who are not happy with the way things are going,” Dawop stated in an interview aired on June 9.

More Defections Rock PDP

Since the coalition’s adoption of the ADC as its platform, fresh defections have continued to shake the PDP, especially in the North. At least five more PDP leaders from Benue, Niger, Kano, Gombe, and Borno states have crossed over to the ADC in the past few days.

In one instance, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Benue State, Alex Adum, submitted a resignation letter dated July 2, 2025, to his ward chairman, stating his decision to leave the PDP in a bid to “rescue Nigeria.”