•Set to receive reports of negotiating teams
•Opposition heavyweights settle on ADC as coalition platform
•Committees set up to finalise framework ahead of formal announcement
LEADERS of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are to hold a crucial meeting in Abuja today following its choice by the promoters of the Coalition of Political leaders to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidency.
The meeting, which will receive the report of the two negotiating teams set up by the ADC in the wake of negotiation, followed indication that key opposition figures – including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-governors Nasir el-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Kayode Fayemi – have settled on the ADC as the preferred platform for a grand coalition to unseat President Tinubu.
The decision of the main opposition figures was reached at a high-level meeting held Tuesday night in Abuja, where the influential political actors resolved that the ADC presents the most viable structure for their united front.
Following the feelers, the ADC leaders fixed today for the negotiating committees to brief the national organs of the party on their assignments with the party expected to ratify strategies to be adopted by the rainbow coalition to achieve its primary goal.
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The meeting is the climax of more than six months of consultation and negotiation involving ADC team, other like-minds, leaders of the coalition across the country on the planned all inclusive movement to confront the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.
It was learnt that some ADC stalwarts met behind closed doors, on Wednesday, in the federal capital as part of preparations for today’s briefing by the negotiating teams.
One of the negotiating committees of the ADC is led by the deputy national chairman of the party, Dr Bamidele Ganiyu Ajadi, while the second one is headed by the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ADC, Dr Mani Ibrahim Aman.
The national chairman of ADC, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, who confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune on the phone, the stakeholders’ meeting of the party taking place today, said further details would provided after briefing by the negotiating teams.
“We have two negotiating teams. One of them is Dr Bamidele Ganiyu Ajadi and the second one is headed by Dr Manny Aman. I am not a member of any of the coalition negotiating committees. I’m not a member of any of the committees, but the joint team has been going round the country to hold consultations with high-profile politicians and influential individuals across all major strata of the society.
“The idea is to bring together the patriots because Nigeria needs a rescue now. So, our negotiating teams are going to brief the NWC tomorrow. Until after that meeting, we cannot say much.
“We have been meeting for more than six months. The meetings have been going on in all parts of the country because one, it is not only about political parties.
All those involved are meeting with civil societies; they are meeting with patriotic Nigerians, who are concerned about the way things are going in our country.
“Tomorrow, we will have our own meetings. They will brief us and we take our decision. May be you hear about the breaking news concerning the coalition more formally.
Advancing more reasons for the coalition, the ADC national chairman said: “The patriots in Nigeria want to come together to rescue the country as our democracy is going down. One cannot understand why 75.5 percent of Nigerians would be living below poverty line. It is inexplicable.
“Members of the negotiating teams are coming to brief all the members of the National working Committee (NWC0 and the National Executive Committee of the ADC today.
“I can’t give you further details until we finish our meeting tomorrow,” Nwosu stated.
Meanwhile, in a significant political realignment ahead of the 2027 general election, the key opposition figures agreed that the ADC presents the most viable structure for their united front.
The meeting, according to reliable sources, was the culmination of months of strategic consultations, backchannel negotiations, and quiet alliance-building among various political interests disillusioned with the current trajectory of governance under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sources familiar with the deliberations told Nigerian Tribune that several party platforms were considered, but the ADC emerged as the consensus choice due to its neutral posture, flexible internal structures, and national spread – qualities deemed essential for a multi-party coalition.
“Yes, they have adopted a coalition platform,” a senior associate of Atiku confirmed on condition of anonymity. “They chose the African Democratic Congress as the operational base for this historic alliance.”
To operationalize the coalition, a number of committees have now been constituted to work out key modalities, including harmonisation of structures, development of a joint policy agenda, and the integration of various support groups.
These committees are expected to produce a framework that will pave the way for a formal unveiling of the coalition and its roadmap to 2027.
A source privy to the negotiations said the birth of the coalition was the outcome of intense and often discreet political engineering aimed at building a credible alternative to the APC. “What you’re seeing is the result of several meetings, some of which involved fierce arguments and delicate compromises. But as of last night, the coalition was effectively born.”
Interestingly, the ADC was not always the publicly touted option.
Insiders revealed that speculation around the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was part of a deliberate strategy to misdirect the ruling party and avoid premature disruption. “There was never a firm decision to go with the SDP,” one coalition insider noted. “That was a decoy, and it served its purpose.”
Within Atiku’s camp, the mood is said to be cautiously optimistic.
According to close aides, the former vice president sees the coalition as a rare opportunity for Nigeria’s fragmented opposition to close ranks and offer a credible alternative leadership vision.
“This is no longer about party labels – it’s about rescuing Nigeria. That’s the message they’re uniting around,” said one source.
While there have been concerns over lingering divisions within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), coalition leaders are reportedly confident that these internal disagreements can be resolved in time.
“We’re working on the theory that time, pressure, and the reality of the moment will force unity. Everyone understands what is at stake,” a participant at the Abuja meeting said.
The formal announcement of the ADC as the coalition platform is expected in the coming weeks, as committee work wraps up and broader consultations continue across the political spectrum.
If successful, the coalition could mark the most formidable challenge yet to President Tinubu’s second-term ambition, bringing together an unlikely alliance of former rivals and ideological foes united by a shared goal: removing the APC from power in 2027.
