Atiku officially joins ADC
Abdullateef Fowewe
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking a major shift in Nigeria’s opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
The registration took place on Monday at his polling unit in Yola, Adamawa State, where he received his ADC membership card amid cheers and was presented with a customised “Waziri 01” jersey, symbolic of his traditional title and political stature.
Abubakar confirmed the milestone on his X account with the caption, “It’s official”.
This move consolidates Abubakar’s role in a broad opposition coalition aiming to unseat President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC).
The coalition, which includes figures such as Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El Rufai, had already adopted the ADC earlier this year as their platform. Abubakar’s registration formalizes this alignment and strengthens the ADC’s visibility and organizational capacity as the 2027 general elections approach.
Atiku’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) earlier this year came after longstanding internal conflicts within the party, which he cited as irreconcilable.
Having been the PDP presidential candidate in both 2019 and 2023, he had repeatedly accused the party leadership of obstructing reconciliation efforts, a stance shared by other defectors.
ADC leaders welcomed his membership warmly, with Adamawa ADC Chairman Shehu Yohanna urging other coalition figures to “legalize their membership” soon, signaling a “new dawn” for Nigerian democracy.
Senator Nazif Gamawa, National Vice Chairman of the ADC, expressed confidence that the party could achieve electoral success even without sitting governors’ backing, recalling how former President Muhammadu Buhari won an election under similar conditions.
He emphasised the ADC’s commitment to fairness and political participation, promising accessible nomination processes and youth mentorship.
