The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi has described the exit of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the party as a significant loss but not a fatal setback.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Abdullahi maintained that the ADC-led coalition remains resilient and focused on building a broad-based political force capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I would be lying to say it didn’t mean anything. No, these are two significant politicians, frontline politicians in this country. When you lose those two politicians, then you will feel that you’ve lost some—something. But it’s not a mortal blow, because what we are trying to do, like you said, is to build a broad-based coalition. A big coalition that will include everyone,” he said.
Speaking more on the ADC coalition, he explained that there was a shared belief among members that the country’s direction had become precarious, making it essential to form a strong alliance capable of winning elections and unseating the incumbent government.
“There was a reason we’re trying to do this coalition. Our individual parties had been destabilized, and the only way out for us was to come together and form this coalition. That is one. Number two, there was a consensus among us that the direction the country is going is quite precarious, and the only way we can win election and rescue the country from the misrule of the APC is to build a party that is formidable enough and that can—that can beat the incumbent. That’s the idea behind the coalition we’re trying to build,” he explained.
Commenting on Obi’s decision to leave, Abdullahi dismissed claims that the ADC is neck deep in legal crisis, insisting the party remains strong despite ongoing legal challenges.
“I will refer to the statement released by His Excellency Peter Obi announcing that he was leaving the party as the only credible evidence that I have of why they left. One, he said the party is beleaguered by legal challenges. Which is true. But in spite of these legal challenges that we have, we built one of the most formidable coalition parties in Nigeria,” he underscored.
Reiterating, Abdullahi said the departure of Obi and Kwankwaso has, in some ways, eased internal pressure within the coalition, allowing remaining members to concentrate on strengthening the party without what he described as “pressure cooker” dynamics.
“I’m not happy they left. But in a way, it’s a bit of relief. Now we can focus on really doing what we need to do without being under the pressure cooker that they were trying to put us in,” he said.
He insisted that despite the loss of the high-profile figures, the coalition still believes in its original mission of unifying the opposition.
“Is it a setback? The answer is yes. Is it a fatal blow? The answer is no. Because the objectives are very clear. They are still the same,” he maintained.
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