2027 Presidency: Mark cautions Atiku, Obi as FG slams coalition chiefs
Amid reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amechi, among others, were leading contenders for the party's ticket for the 2027 election, Senator David Mark, the African Democratic Congress's interim national chairman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the new coalition had no preferred presidential candidate.
Mark emphasized that all party members were equal partners in the statement sent by his media staff in Abuja on Tuesday.
With rising worries that the aspirations of the three candidates could split the party, ADC's 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, had accused the Mark-led party's interim leadership of being prejudiced in favor of Atiku.
Mark responded by promising Nigerians that under his direction, the party would continue to operate in total transparency.
According to Mark, "The ADC has no favorite or preferred presidential candidate; instead, it aims to present a platform that will appeal to and be accepted by the majority of Nigerians."
We are taking this action because we do not want Nigeria, this big ship, to sink because they would sink us all if we do not rise to the occasion.
"I urge all members to get ready to demonstrate to Nigerians that ADC is a separate party, since I do not own this party more than any of our members do.
“A different party that is ready to properly run democracy in our country. All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC.”
But President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday claimed that opponents of Nigeria’s development are conspiring to oust the President.
Onanuga stated this in a post on X on Tuesday, which was later deleted.
He described the Tinubu administration as “the most focused and transformative in Nigeria’s history.”
He referenced a 2022 warning by the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, who cautioned that any leader promising effortless prosperity was being dishonest.
Quoting Sanusi, Onanuga wrote, “Emir Sanusi warned Nigerians what to expect from President Tinubu’s reforms. ‘It’s not going to be easy.’ If anybody tells you it would be easy, don’t vote for him.”
The presidential aide then alleged that “haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history.”
This comes as more members of the opposition and even the ruling APC pledged loyalty to the coalition on Tuesday.
The fresh wave of defections swept across Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Ondo and other states, with notable politicians abandoning their former parties to join the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In Borno State, home of Vice President Kashim Shettima, the ADC witnessed a mass influx of former PDP and APC stalwarts.
Among them are the PDP Borno Central Senatorial candidate in the 2023 election, Mohammed Kumalia; Deputy Governorship candidate, Saleh Kida; and former PDP national treasurer, Ali Wurge.
Others are House of Representatives candidate in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Babakura Yusuf; PDP candidate for Bama, Ngala, Kala Balge federal constituency, Abdulrazaq Zanna and other House of Representatives candidates.
A former governorship aspirant, Idris Durkwa, and a youth mobiliser, Sheriff Banki, also defected to the coalition.
Speaking on Tuesday, Banki attributed the defections to the failure of the APC under President Bola Tinubu and the compromised leadership of the PDP.
He said, “I am happy to inform you that the massive defections and resignations by prominent members of opposition parties, including the ruling APC, as recently witnessed in Borno State, mark the beginning of better things in the state’s political landscape and the country at large.
“Nigerians, especially at the grassroots level, were promised a Renewed Hope Agenda by President Tinubu. Unfortunately, two years into the APC-led administration, the reverse is the case. People can no longer sleep with both eyes closed, and they are grappling with economic hardship due to poor policies and programmes.”
In Gombe, Abdullahi Ataka, a former APC State Organising Secretary and youth mobiliser, explained that his decision to join the ADC came after months of reflection and engagement with stakeholders.
Ataka spoke on the heels of an expanded caucus meeting in Gombe on Tuesday.
Ataka said, “The decision wasn’t made lightly. It followed extensive consultations across political and civic platforms.
“We see, in the ADC, a fresh energy, a sense of direction, and an openness that is lacking in the current system. We’re not just coming with numbers; we’re coming with structure, strategy, and a clear sense of purpose.”
He expressed confidence that the new coalition has the momentum to disrupt the status quo.
“This is the movement the people have been waiting for. The ADC represents that new voice – the voice of ordinary Nigerians,” he stated.
Speaking during the expanded caucus meeting, the ADC state chairman, Auwal Barde, described the coalition as “a timely alliance driven by the need to offer Nigerians a credible alternative.”
“This is not just a merger of political interests. It’s the beginning of a genuine movement to rescue Gombe State and Nigeria at large from political stagnation,” Barde said.
“We have officially opened our party registers in all 114 wards and across the 11 LGAs of the state to welcome new members who believe in change rooted in accountability and inclusiveness.”
He called on citizens disillusioned by the current political establishment to find a home in the ADC.
“We are calling on those who have been politically displaced or discouraged — youth, professionals, and interest groups — to come on board. ADC is a platform for real transformation,” he added.
The gathering also featured members of the coalition, including a former minister, Abdullahi Umar, who emphasised that the alliance was not just about defeating the APC, but about providing solutions to Nigeria’s growing challenges.
“This coalition is not built on bitterness or ambition alone. We are uniting to tackle the economic hardship and leadership failure affecting ordinary Nigerians,” Umar explained. “It’s about rebuilding institutions and restoring hope. We’re inviting all well-meaning citizens to be part of this mission.”
In Jigawa, the ADC dissolved its executive council and inaugurated a new state exco led by former Deputy Governor in the state, Ahmed Gumel.
This comes on the back of former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, a PDP chieftain, recently joining the coalition.
In his inaugural speech on Monday at the ADC Jigawa headquarters in Dutse, Gumel said, “The coalition aims to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape and provide an alternative to the APC-led government.”
A meeting of the ADC also held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, where the state coordinator of the coalition and former member of the House of Representatives, Prof. Bode Ayorinde, state that several chieftains of the PDP in the state were already part of the coalition.
Ayorinde, a former PDP chieftain, claimed that governorship candidates of the party in the 2020 and 2024 elections in the state, Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi, were part of the coalition.
He added that the senator who represented Ondo South, Nicholas Tofowomo, a former chairman of PDP, Tola Alabere, and former spokesman of the party, Kennedy Peretei, were already part of the coalition in the state.
Ayorinde stated, “I’m happy that our number is increasing; we must work together. Ondo State will first take advantage of the ADC in the next governorship election. Let all leaders at the ward levels play politics of inclusion.
“We started with 25 members at our first meeting, but now we are over 300. It shows the failure of the ruling party. Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi are also part of us. It is a state coalition, we are united.”
Also speaking, Peretei said, “You heard Prof. Ayorinde. He mentioned names – big names. But it’s not even about the big names. It’s about the situation that we find ourselves in. Initially, there were people who were saying that the national problem does not affect, does not translate to collapsing party structures, the PDP structures, into the ADC.
“In Ondo State, I know two local governments that have already collapsed their structures into the ADC. So, PDP doesn’t exist anymore. It’s the ADC that exists. And you see it here.
“The biggest fear that was expressed in the last two months in the country was that Nigeria was going to be a one-party state? Nobody’s talking about that now. And those that are in the villa are attacking us, attacking personalities. That will tell you how much heat is on the APC in one week. So, what happens if it becomes six weeks?
“In those states, after today, I’m sure there will be ripples. There will be a lot of ripples.”
PDP kicks
Kamorudeen Ajisafe, the national vice chairman of the PDP (South-West), stated that he was unaware of Jegede and Ajayi's alleged defection.
"I have not yet verified the aforementioned departure
