National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralphs Nwosu on Sunday, said discussions on the proposed opposition coalition will be concluded in the next one or two weeks.
It was reported that the ADC has been adopted as the platform under which the coalition will contest the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during the weekend, Nwosu disclosed that various committees set up by the party have met with those involved in the talks.
According to him, a final meeting between civil society and citizens groups, as well as the critical stakeholders, will be held to finalise the decision.
“ADC has started a process in the last 16 months, and what we have been doing is that beyond all the political talks about political leaders, we needed to touch the grassroots because the situation in the country will either one-day call for citizen’s revolt or patriot’s coalition,” Nwosu said.
He stressed that ADC is well considered by well-meaning Nigerians and patriots as a coalition platform.
However, he added that “you cannot discuss leadership, political or otherwise in Nigeria in isolation,” noting that committees had to be set up to dialogue with the people.
Read also:
- Chaos erupts at Atiku-Obi coalition meeting as Jigawa delegates disrupt proceedings
- Atiku, Obi 2027 coalition: Insider alliance talks reshaping Nigeria’s political landscape
- Nigerians React to 2027 Coalition Proposal, as Atiku’s camp offers Peter Obi VP slot in one-term deal
Nwosu said the party’s politics is about transformation and inclusion.
“The conversations are in three folds. As national chairman and chairman of national consultative organ dealing with citizens and some patriots, my job is different.
“Dr. Bamidele Jamilu Jade, one of the deputy national chairmen is coordinating some arm of the political parties. Dr. Mani Ibrahim Ahmad is also dealing with stakeholders in political parties.
“So what I can tell you as the chairman is what we have done with the citizens and civil organisations,” he said.
Nwosu admitted that the committees had met with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
“They have met a lot more. They have met Rotimi Amaechi, they have met almost all those who ran for president in 2023 either as aspirants or candidates. Dr. Ahmad have also met all the political parties,” he disclosed.
Speaking further, Nwosu dismissed the suggestion that ADC would just be a multipurpose vehicle by ambitious politicians just to win election.
“At a summit at Arewa House in Kaduna last year, we made it clear that any politician who thinks that ADC is a ‘molue’ for going to where they want to go, a multipurpose vehicle must think again because that has made parties to become the weakest link in the chain of our democratic system.
“That is wrong because the weakest link cannot create leaders that can create the kind of transformation that we want. ADC is certainly not the vehicle,” he said.
The ADC national chairman, speaking on the zoning of the coalition’s presidential ticket in the 2027 election, said stakeholders are meeting and proper decisions would be taken.
Continuing, Nwosu noted that while the party is not parochial in its decisions, it is not unmindful of the emotions expressed by the people.
“Being the national chairman of a big coalition that is being formed, I have also heard from a lot of youth groups and they will say, ‘You know it is the turn of the South’.
“They have made the point but one day we were taken aback when some young people came and they said, ‘we talk about equity in Nigeria, but you know what, since this democracy began, the North has done 11 years and the South has done 17 years.
“They said that if the South were to take another four years after Tinubu’s first tenure, it will now become 22 years to 11 years of the North.’
“You know in Nigeria, sometimes we say that we don’t want that dichotomy of ethnicity and religion, that it is causing so much problems. In most of the parties you will see deputy chairman (North), deputy chairman (South).
“In some of the things we do, if you want to erase certain things, you stop highlighting them.
“In ADC for instance, we don’t have this person North, this person South. It creates the dichotomy that we don’t want.
“What we have is deputy national chairman that is function based. When you go through our DNA and the things we do, we have given our pamphlets to these leaders because we must start a new cause,” he added.
