A prominent member of Nigeria’s opposition coalition, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has accused key leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of plotting to impose candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lukman, a former national vice chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), raised the alarm in a statement on Tuesday titled “ADC and the Prospect of Internal Democracy.” He warned that the party may fall into the same trap of godfatherism that has weakened many Nigerian political parties.
The ADC recently became the adopted platform of a coalition of opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi. The party also appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary.
Lukman said some of these leaders were already acting as if the 2027 election had been won, sidelining due process in party-building efforts.
“The negative side of almost all our opposition political leaders is already at play,” Lukman said. “Loyalists are being positioned without consideration for merit, competence, or broad acceptability.”
He accused some coalition leaders of promoting themselves from nominees to zonal leaders and warned that they were now acting like political godfathers.
“With this trend, they will soon start anointing preferred candidates for 2027,” Lukman said. “Senator Mark’s first big test as interim chairman is whether he can stop this from turning ADC into another party controlled by godfathers.”
He urged the party to prioritise internal democracy, transparency, and merit in its leadership structure if it truly aims to challenge the APC in 2027.
