By Moses Okorie
It is a known fact that the acronym ADC is not too familiar to many Nigerians especially the younger generation. They never knew that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been in existence since 2005 and has produced presidential candidates at different election periods. But the party has become prominent just within one week when it received in attendance great politicians across the various zones of Nigeria. The seamless change of its leadership positions is another factor that made many political onlookers believe that the political landscape of Nigeria is already changing with high currency.
Now, with the defection of some governors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), it created an impression that Nigeria was heading towards becoming a one-party state. Apart from the movement of Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart Umo Bassey, and with the rumour of many others in the queue and about joining the APC, it was obvious the ruling party was having a landslide ahead of time.
Apart from the rising tide in the APC, the PDP was daily backsliding with the national secretary’s crisis which divided the party sharply along different interests. Even the national working committee of the PDP had to disagree on whether Senator Samuel Anyanwu should remain, or he should go. By mere looking, one can see that the crisis was crippling the party by the day.
More so, the party thought to be an alternative, that is, the Labour Party (LP) was having a much deeper crisis than that of the PDP. Having three factional national chairmen; Julius Abure, Lamidi Apapa and Nenadi Usman with all claiming ownership of the party. The suspension and counter suspension that enveloped the LP was another cause for serious concern in the Nigerian political arena.
With the political quagmire in the two major opposition parties, the ruling APC was having its heyday at the expense of what democracy stands for. But with the new development; the coming together of political juggernauts from different political parties into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), some Nigerians who were giving up hope on politics have started heaving a sigh of relief. They are now seeing the likelihood of a stronger opposition that can wrestle power from the ruling party.
Though some may think that the ADC is the conglomerate of the good, the bad and the ugly, it is still better than to maintain the status quo of having crisis infested PDP and LP that cannot make any significant impact in the current political equation. The coming of two major contenders; former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who came second in the 2023 general elections and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi of the LP who came third, is likely to give the incumbent a run for its money.
The emergence of former president of the Nigerian Senate, Senator David Mark as the national chairman of the ADC and former Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, surrounded by heavyweight politicians including past governors and ministers, the party can now be seen as a true alternative to the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yes, the problem before the ADC now would be who flies the party’s flag in the next presidential election; would it be Atiku who has contested almost all elections since 2007 or would it be his former running mate in the 2019 general election, Peter Obi? Can Atiku swallow his pride and ambition in 2027 and allow a southerner to complete the eight years of the south, this is to equate the eight years enjoyed by ex-president Muhammadu Buhari from the north.
More so, in the southern Nigeria of today, there is no other politician that can compete favourably with the popularity and acceptability of Peter Obi, and it would be unfair supporting another person from the north to run against incumbent president Bola Tinubu who is from the south and still enjoying his four years.
Therefore, ADC must tread with caution to avoid the mistakes of the PDP and LP. Some interested persons must give up their leadership ambition and work as a team with a common goal of giving Nigeria a better alternative, because in the politics of today, Atiku cannot become president under the PDP neither can Peter Obi of the Labour Party. So, their coming together must result in a clash of interests, but one person would have to step down for the other.
The ADC members must learn a lesson with the emergence of Buhari in 2015. Prior to that, in 2014, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) with a fraction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) merged together with some governors under the auspices of the New-PDP to form what is today known as the APC and that merger made it easier for them to snatch power away from the PDP.
It can be seen that it was when Tinubu who was the leader of ACN stepped down his political ambition and supported Buhari of the CPC for president, and later on Tinubu himself became president under the same APC. If Tinubu had insisted on contesting against Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan who was the incumbent in 2015, the PDP would have remained in power and APC as opposition party. This is an assignment for the ADC heavyweights, because Nigeria can never have two presidents at a time. There must be consensus amongst themselves.
Okorie is an Abuja-based journalist and can be reached through +234-7054657334