The African Democratic Congress, which is the platform of the coalition of opposition leaders, is making moves to convert no fewer than five sitting governors before the 2027 general elections.
Insiders told reporters that the ADC would benefit from the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party by having some governors of the party join the coalition.
This is just as five leaders of the PDP in five states have resigned from the party to join the ADC.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Senate President, David Mark, and other coalition leaders on Wednesday formally adopted the ADC as the platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Since the unveiling of the ADC as the coalition’s platform, criticism has continued to trail its strength and the individuals behind it.
The PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, warned that there would be consequences for members undermining the party, insisting that its leaders remained united.
A former presidential aide and pro-Tinubu commentator, Reno Omokri, described the ADC as a gathering of “rejected politicians and former political office holders.”
A credible source in the ADC disclosed that five PDP governors were expected to join the party.
The insider, a former senator from Katsina State, said, “Five PDP governors have given us their commitment; they are going to join us, but they want to see the end of Wike’s drama in the PDP. Hopefully, we will meet them by the end of their next convention and review things.
“What people don’t know is that some of the governors, including those in the APC, are supporting us. We started this coalition planning 18 months ago, and some APC governors were contacted about a year ago. So, they are with us, but I won’t tell you any names.”
Another insider, an aide to one of the former ministers and ex-governors, said he was aware that leaders of the coalition, including his principal, were in touch with seven governors on the move to sway them to the ADC.
This comes barely a month after a chieftain of the ADC in Plateau State, Dr Sani Dawop, disclosed that about seven APC governors had secretly been funding “an opposition coalition” against Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has lashed out at the growing opposition against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, insisting that their “ambition will fail”.
“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel, but President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait,” the governor said.
