The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is having a difficult time as political activities progressively pick up steam in anticipation of the national elections in 2027.
The ADC is facing internal and external challenges after being hailed by some political analysts as a possible gathering point for disgruntled blocs.
The road to 2027 seems more difficult due to arrests and election disappointment.
FCT election failures
According to reports, the ADC’s political apparatus had fundamental flaws that were revealed during the last FCT area council elections. The party was unable to convert its prominence into electoral successes in important councils, despite loud campaigns and noticeable media involvement.
According to reports, the FCT failure could act as a warning sign for a party looking to spearhead a larger opposition movement.
While the ADC made an effort to establish itself as a viable rival to the ruling parties, analysts contend that its grassroots organizing was unsuccessful.
According to some political observers, the ADC had a chance to assess its preparedness for 2027 at the FCT council elections.
The results, however, sparked questions regarding its capacity for coalition formation, voter penetration, and organizational depth.
Veteran journalist and former presidential adviser Dr. Reuben Abati commented on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) elections and stated that the ADC was unable to convert its campaign efforts into electoral success in the FCT area council elections.
The comments were made by Abati on Monday during an appearance on the Morning Show on Arise Television.
He noted that political parties need to start reevaluating their tactics in preparation for upcoming elections, saying that the results of the Abuja elections demonstrated that the contests had been mostly determined.
“We simply hope that everyone involved—including the ADC, which held demonstrations in Abuja but received no results—will take note of this and develop strategies.
“We can’t predict what that will mean in the future,” Abati stated.
Additionally, it was stated that Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, criticized opposition political parties and leaders for their disorganized and ineffectual management of the FCT elections.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Odinkalu claimed that the opposition had not shown leadership at a crucial juncture.
Odinkalu called the opposition “an utter disgrace,” saying that the current political atmosphere shows that the parties who are supposed to act as checks on the ruling administration are not taking their responsibilities seriously.
It’s hard to discuss Nigeria’s political opposition’s incompetence. They don’t mean it.
Odinkalu stated, “I believe that anyone who examines the system has to say that there isn’t any opposition at the moment.”
The ICPC, EFCC, and DSS’s imprisonment of El-Rufai
The arrest and detention of Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, by anti-corruption and security agencies such as the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) last week heightened the political atmosphere in the nation.
Opposition voices have called the action politically tinged, despite the ruling All Progressives Congress’s insistence that such measures are a part of ongoing investigations and institutional responsibilities.
Additionally, some supporters contend that the timing is problematic, particularly when realignments and alignments became more intense before 2027.
El-Rufai is seen by many as one of the important ADC leaders who can put pressure on President Bola Tinubu’s reelection, despite the fact that he is quite controversial.
Since then, the party has been disturbed by his arrest.According to reports, former vice president Atiku Abubakar said on Tuesday that Nasir El-Rufai’s family, friends, and acquaintances have serious concerns about his health and well-being.
Following rumors that El-Rufai had bled through the nose over the weekend, Atiku issued a warning to the government.
Atiku, however, claimed that the Federal Government owes Nigerians clarification in a statement released through X on Tuesday.
Atiku asserts that “the government has a constitutional duty to guarantee El-Rufai’s safety, dignity, access to medical care, and access to his family and legal representatives.”
“It is extremely concerning and unacceptable in a democracy that he reportedly had a nosebleed while family members were allegedly denied access.
“Giving him release right away is the legal and compassionate course of action if the authorities are unable to ensure his health and fundamental rights. This government will be held responsible if El-Rufai suffers any harm.
In the meantime, it was remembered that weeks prior, the EFCC had apprehended and arrested Abubakar Malami, a chieftain of the ADC and former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The government of Enugu charges N150 million for political campaign advertisements.
The Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA) on Monday imposed a necessary N150 million permission fee for political campaign advertising ahead of the 2026 and 2027 elections, which has sparked a lot of debate.
Introduced during the administration of Governor Peter Mbah, the policy has been defended as a regulatory action meant to uphold law and order and guarantee adherence to state advertising regulations.
Opposition parties, however, contend that the price disproportionately impacts smaller parties like the ADC and see it as exorbitant.
The ADC’s chapter in Enugu State reportedly objected to the required payment.
According to the party, the campaign advertising permit charge is illegal, unconstitutional, and undemocratic.
In Enugu State, the ruling APC is accused by the ADC of creating the charge in order to prevent opposition parties from running in the upcoming elections.
The opposition party claimed in a press release signed by Paul Anigbogu on behalf of the Enugu ADC Media Team that the state government was attempting to usurp the federal government’s authority by enforcing the “illegal” advertising permit fee, in direct violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
A portion of the statement stated, “If the state government does not remove the unlawful and unconstitutional financial barrier put in the way of political parties and candidates running for local government elections and general elections in Enugu State, we completely reject this fee and will not hesitate to challenge it in court.”
alleged attempt to kill Peter Obi
Reports of a suspected murder attempt on former presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi on Tuesday further heightened tensions.
The Obedient Movement Worldwide’s National Coordinator, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, confirmed the attack in a statement released from Abuja.
According to Tanko, the event happened soon after senior lawyer Olumide Akpata officially joined the ADC.
He claimed that armed men followed the group from the ADC Secretariat straight to Chief Odigie-Oyegun’s private home, where they opened fire on the gate and a number of cars parked inside.
In Benin’s Edo State, Peter Obi and the ADC leadership are being besieged and attacked.
In what looks to be a successful assassination attempt on our life, they shot at the gate and destroyed multiple vehicles. Tanko wrote, “Democracy is in jeopardy.”
Numerous party supporters turned to social media shortly after the incident was made public, calling the development alarming and indicative of growing political animosity.
Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate who is currently in the ADC, is reportedly still one of the most recognizable faces of the movement opposing the current government. His impressive election performance and ensuing legal battle kept him at the forefront of Nigerian opposition politics.
2026 Electoral Act, recently signed
The recently enacted 2026 Electoral Act, which established both manual and electronic transmission of election results, adds still another level of complexity to the unfolding drama.
The act’s provision for the manual transmission of election results, according to opposition figures, may unintentionally encourage result tampering and manipulation.
The party characterized the President’s ratification of the amendment as a blow to the nation’s ability to hold legitimate elections in a statement released on Thursday and signed by Bolaji Abdullahi, its National Publicity Secretary.
The opposition party cautioned that the amendment might erode public confidence in upcoming elections because it creates ambiguity and gives considerable discretion in the collection and dissemination of election results.
The ADC was also worried that if there were no clear assurances regarding technological transparency, people could feel pressured to stay at polling places in order to protect their ballots, which would increase election-related stress.
“In response to President Bola Tinubu’s actions on Wednesday, February 18, the ADC, a duly constituted political party in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, affirms in the strongest and clearest terms possible that we are ready, willing, and prepared to defend the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy using every constitutional and lawful means available to us.”
According to the party, “we will mobilize Nigerians toward vigilance, toward lawful participation, and toward unity in defense of their constitutional rights.”
Analyst: Nigeria’s opposition is not well-coordinated.
According to Nduka Odo, a public affairs analyst and communication specialist at Peaceland University in Enugu, Nigeria presently lacks a well-organized and cohesive opposition that may take on the ruling APC before the next elections in 2027.
Odo made the claim in an interview on Tuesday, claiming that the nation’s current political developments had confirmed his prior claim that there was no strong opposition.
He argues that dispersed voices cannot be characterized as political opposition, pointing out that coordination, power, and momentum are necessary for effective opposition.
Using the ADC’s performance in the most recent Abuja elections as proof that the party had not yet fully established itself as a credible alternative, he called the party a “sketch” of what an opposition party ought to be.
According to Odo, the results of the polls in Abuja should give the ADC a heads-up to restructure before 2027.
The party’s response to the controversial electoral act modification bill’s passage was also criticized by the analyst, who claimed that the ADC did not take significant action.
Odo claimed that the ruling party was trying to rig the 2027 elections and that if the APC had been in opposition, it would have organized demonstrations at the National Assembly and taken the matter to global media outlets like CNN and the BBC.
He went on to say that the ADC’s leaders don’t seem to be unified or truly devoted to creating a powerful opposition platform, and that the group appears fractured and lacks internal cohesiveness.
“Recent actions in the nation have validated what I’ve said elsewhere,” Odo stated. At the moment, Nigeria has no opposition.
“Political opposition does not consist of isolated voices. That’s what people like Peter Obi are today. An opposition requires cohesion, force, and momentum.
“At the moment, ADC is merely a draft of what an opposition ought to be. The most recent elections in Abuja demonstrated this. It served as an early warning to ADC to complete its acts before to 2027.
ADC still has a long way to go, as seen by the fact that it accomplished nothing significant when lawmakers enacted the blatantly contentious election act change. Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, ignored the house members who called for order, and we all watched what he did.
“He continued even though the members wanted to know what was in the bill. The APC would have surrounded the House of Representatives if they had been in the opposition.
“They would continue to demonstrate against the election act’s passage.” They would be on CNN and the BBC, explaining how the ruling party has developed a strategy to rig the 2027 election.
However, ADC isn’t carrying out any of those actions. It seems as though ADC hasn’t quite come together as a cohesive entity. They don’t appear to be able to agree on anything yet. It appears that the leaders do not trust one another. They all seem to be in and out of sync.
“And APC is aware of this. I previously said the PDP would not survive until after the 2027 election. I’m almost finished. The only thing that shocked me was that LP didn’t really make it through the Lamidi Apapa scourge.
“ADC appears to be in for a similar plague. And I perceived the ruling party’s involvement in LP’s illness. I can also see their fingers in ADC’s jaundiced stand.
“Our fledgling democracy is at risk from the ruling party’s ongoing suppression of the opposition, regardless of the tactics used.” Every elected leader cannot be forced to join the ruling party.
It is ridiculous and anti-democratic for members of the legislature, the main branch of government tasked with restraining the abuses of the executive branch, to sing the president’s sycophantic anthem on the floor of legislation instead of the national anthem.
“The objective of oppositionism transcends the pursuit of power. For rationality to return to Nigerian administration, we need organized opposition.