Opposition coalition may not last till September – ADC lawmaker

Nigeria’s opposition alliance may be heading for an early breakup, as the only serving House of Representatives member on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Leke Abejide, has dropped a bombshell about its future.

Abejide, who represents Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency of Kogi State, declared on Friday that the coalition, which adopted the ADC last month as its vehicle for the 2027 elections, is already wobbling and may not survive beyond September.

Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, the outspoken lawmaker said last weekend’s by-election results — in which the coalition failed to win a single seat — marked the beginning of its end.

“The coalition collapsed last Saturday; across the country, they could not even win one seat. That was the beginning of the end. By early next month, the coalition will collapse completely,” Abejide said.

He accused the group of trying to “hijack” the ADC, insisting he remains the “landlord” of the party.

“I didn’t establish the party, but I am the one who kept it alive. I have never defected to a big party. I used the ADC to contest all my elections and also brought others into both the National Assembly and state assembly,” he boasted.

The lawmaker dismissed the coalition leaders as outsiders with no roots in the ADC, noting that while former Senate President David Mark and former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola have signed on, they hold no leadership roles.

The coalition had earlier named Mark as interim chairman and Aregbesola as secretary, with big names such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Dino Melaye, Solomon Dalong, Gabriel Suswam, and Dele Momodu linked to the movement.

But Abejide sneered at their ambition, branding them “selfish politicians” chasing shadows. In his words, their attempt to ride on ADC’s back into 2027 is nothing but a “daydream.”