2027: ADC leaders call for opposition unity, Consensus Candidate Ahead Of Elections

Leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in Abuja on Tuesday, intensified calls for political unity and the emergence of a credible, consensus presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections, in what is increasingly seen as early groundwork for a broader opposition realignment.

The renewed push came during the party’s 2026 national convention in Abuja, where prominent political figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, converged on a common theme: the need to avoid fragmentation within the opposition and rally behind a single, competitive candidate capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Amaechi, in one of the most pointed interventions, argued that political success is dependent on strategic consensus-building rather than sentiment-based decision-making.

Drawing from the formation of the APC, he recalled how leaders of the party deliberately set aside ethnic and religious considerations in favour of electoral viability and national reach.

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“We did it in APC”, Amaechi said, stressing that the party’s early success was anchored on deliberate consensus around a candidate with broad acceptability rather than sectional calculations.

He warned that Nigeria’s political environment had since deteriorated into identity-driven competition, where ethnicity and religion now dominate political discourse, undermining national cohesion and weakening governance outcomes.

Amaechi further argued that economic realities, rather than identity politics, should shape national priorities. “There is no Muslim market, no Christian market; the market is the Naira”, he said, urging political actors and citizens to focus on economic survival and shared prosperity as unifying factors.

In a data-driven intervention, Obi shifted attention to Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic and security indicators, warning that political rhetoric must be matched with measurable realities. He noted that Nigeria’s global terrorism ranking had declined from fourth to eighth position, describing the trend as an indication of persistent insecurity challenges requiring urgent and coordinated national response.

Obi also raised concern over Nigeria’s rising debt profile, stating that public debt had increased from about ₦87 trillion to nearly ₦200 trillion, despite subsidy removal and other fiscal adjustments. He warned that continued reliance on borrowing without structural productivity reforms could worsen fiscal instability, adding that inadequate funding of critical national budgets risks deepening economic hardship and threatening future generations.

Atiku Abubakar, in his remarks, positioned the discussions within a broader national responsibility to redirect Nigeria’s governance trajectory. He described the engagement as driven by concern for younger Nigerians and future generations, stressing that political leadership must prioritise national renewal over personal or sectional interests.

Atiku also reiterated that corruption would not be tolerated under a reformed political arrangement anchored on discipline and accountability, insisting that governance must be insulated from criminal influence, including terrorism and organised corruption networks. He called for collective responsibility among political stakeholders, warning that Nigeria’s democratic stability depends on institutional integrity and leadership discipline. [TheWill]