Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has expressed concern over the likelihood of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi failing to align ahead of the 2027 presidential race. Speaking on Arise TV, he said the dynamic is a worrying challenge for the party but rejected descriptions of it as the biggest threat to Nigeria’s democracy. “Is it a conundrum? Yes. Is it a challenge? Yes. Is it something we are concerned about? Yes,” he said.
Abdullahi explained that while the issue is significant, the ADC’s priority is consolidating its structures nationwide to ensure strong participation in the 2027 elections. He noted that the party is not yet discussing presidential candidates. “We have so much work to do, to establish our presence… But we know that is an issue we have to deal with,” he added, stressing that the ADC remains focused on expanding across all 36 states and the FCT.
He said the party may consider selecting its presidential candidate through consensus, but if that fails, the ticket will be opened to all aspirants. “When we get to that point, we’ll try to engineer a consensus… But if we are not able to reach a consensus, then we’ll possibly just open it up for everyone to contest,” he stated. He added that other aspirants beyond Atiku and Obi are interested, and confirmed that the ADC is in discussions with other parties to form a broader coalition for 2027.