The African Democratic Congress has expressed confidence that it can defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election without relying on a coalition of opposition parties, even as the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso support movement has rejected any proposal to merge with an external political organisation.

ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party had built sufficient support among Nigerians to prosecute the 2027 election independently, although discussions with other opposition groups on areas of cooperation were continuing.

Abdullahi, who spoke on Arise TV, said a broader opposition coalition could make the ADC’s task easier but was not essential to its electoral strategy.

“We don’t need a coalition to win this election. The African Democratic Congress does not need a coalition to win this election,” he said.

He explained that the initial coalition discussions were intended to strengthen the opposition and simplify the task of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress, adding that the ADC had since developed enough political strength to contest the election on its own.

“If we are able to build the kind of coalition that we started, maybe it will make our job easier, but we don’t need that coalition to win the election,” Abdullahi said.

He, however, disclosed that opposition parties remained engaged in discussions on possible areas of collaboration, particularly mechanisms for election monitoring and protecting votes during the 2027 poll.

“We are still having conversations among ourselves, our opposition political parties, and there are different areas,” he said.

According to him, developing a common protocol for election monitoring and vote protection would constitute a significant area of cooperation among opposition parties.

“If we are able to develop a common protocol for election monitoring and for policing our votes, that is major,” he said.

Abdullahi also played down the perceived political strength of the APC and its leading campaign figures, arguing that political influence did not necessarily translate into votes.

“The 2027 election will not be contested on the floor of the National Assembly. It is the people of Nigeria that will decide who they want to vote for,” he said.

The ADC spokesperson expressed confidence in the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying the party had sufficient time to mobilise support before the election.

“We have the next six months to mobilise. We have the next six months to rally,” Abdullahi said.

He described the 2027 election as a referendum on the performance of the Tinubu administration, maintaining that voters would determine whether the government deserved another term.

“We are confident we will win this election because we have Nigerians behind us,” he declared.

Meanwhile, the OK Movement, a political support platform backing the proposed Peter Obi-Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso ticket, has rejected any plan to merge or absorb the organisation into another political body.

The decision was reached at the movement’s National Leadership Summit in Abuja, attended by national leaders, geopolitical zonal coordinators, state coordinators and local government and ward-level mobilisers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The movement said it would remain an independent organisation while continuing to coordinate with allied groups where necessary in pursuit of shared political objectives.

In a communiqué signed by its Convener, Barrister Oladipo Johnson; Deputy Director-General, North, Prince Suleiman Abubakar; Deputy Director-General, South, Mrs Oluwatoyin Lanihun; and National Secretary, Saadatu Mohammed Sani, the movement said any externally imposed merger would disrupt its existing programmes and weaken its grassroots structure.

“The OK Movement shall remain an independent organisation and shall not be merged into or absorbed by any external political body,” the communiqué stated.

The group also reaffirmed John Ughulu as its founder and Director-General, rejecting any proposal for his replacement.

It said the decision was based on the role Ughulu had played in building the movement’s grassroots structure and mobilising its supporters across the country.

“The Summit affirms Mr. John Ughulu as founder and Director-General of the OK Movement, and respectfully declines any proposal for his replacement,” the group said.

The movement further resolved to invite Jacky Wayas to return as Director for Strategic Implementation and Planning, working under the leadership of the Director-General.

It also approved the appointment of Prince Suleiman Abubakar as Deputy Director-General, North, following the resignation of Ambassador Muhammad Auwal Musa from the position.

The movement said its leadership had received assurances from state, local government and ward coordinators that they would not continue operating under an arrangement that removed Ughulu or compromised the organisation’s independence.

The leadership subsequently visited former Kano State governor and prominent political figure, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to brief him on the outcome of the summit and reaffirm the movement’s unity.

The group also met Alhaji Buba Galadima, head of its Advisory Council, who it said encouraged the organisation to maintain its independence and cautioned against merging it into the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

The developments highlight continuing realignments within Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, with competing political platforms weighing coalition-building against independent mobilisation strategies. (Politics Digest)