Presidential aspirants under the African Democratic Congress have pledged to support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election.
This decision was reached during a closed-door meeting of the party’s leaders’ caucus held in Abuja.
The meeting, chaired by ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, also ruled out the adoption or registration of the All Democratic Alliance, effectively closing the door on speculations of a merger or alliance with the group.
As part of its resolutions, the caucus directed all members to resign their memberships from any other political party. However, no specific timeline was given for compliance.
Present at the high-level meeting were ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf; National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, among others.
Notably absent was Labour Party National Leader, Peter Obi, who was away on an official trip to the United States. Despite his absence, Obi communicated his full support for the resolutions reached at the meeting.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the party’s 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.”
He further noted, “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.”
Abdullahi added that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) will soon unveil its strategy for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States.
Earlier, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar confirmed his participation in the meeting via his official X handle. He wrote: “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.”
Peter Obi, who missed the meeting due to his U.S. visit, also shared updates about his trip on his X handle. “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,” he posted.
Obi described his arrival at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and praised its efficiency and scale, noting its annual passenger traffic and economic impact. “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,” he said.
He also recounted his meeting with Atlanta’s Mayor, Andre Dickens, and highlighted the contrast in public conduct between Nigerian and American public officials. “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,” Obi stated.
So far, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Chibuike Amaechi have all expressed interest in contesting for the ADC’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 election.
