Atiku Abubakar joined key African Democratic Congress coalition leaders in Abuja to strategize ahead of 2027 elections.
The high-profile meeting signaled growing opposition unity and a push to challenge Nigeria’s dominant parties.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday joined several influential politicians at a high-profile meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition leaders in Abuja. The gathering brought together well-known figures from across Nigeria’s political spectrum who are positioning themselves as a credible alternative to the country’s dominant parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Those present included former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Minister of Digital Economy Isa Pantami, ADC National Chairman and ex-Senate President David Mark, former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and ex-Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal. Photos shared online showed Atiku exchanging handshakes with Tambuwal and Mark during the event.
In a brief message on his official X handle, Atiku framed the meeting as an effort to challenge what he called entrenched power structures that have hindered Nigeria’s growth. “It’s a meeting of the Nigerian people against the oligarchs who promote poverty and insecurity in the land,” he wrote, adding that the coalition aims to resist forces blocking national progress.
The ADC coalition, which was officially adopted in July by a bloc of opposition politicians, has emerged as a platform for those seeking to challenge the ruling party in 2027. The African Democratic Congress itself was founded in 2005 as the Alliance for Democratic Change and registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2011. Since then, it has tried to position itself as a centrist party and a “third force” in Nigeria’s politics, drawing defectors and reform-minded leaders who are dissatisfied with the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress.
Beyond the leaders present in Abuja, the coalition also includes figures such as former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun.
