The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has boldly dismissed the impact of recent high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserting that the political migrations will not guarantee President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 presidential poll. The party argues that true electoral power remains with the discontented grassroots, not with defecting elites.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Yola on Sunday, Adamawa State Chairman Shehu Yohanna launched a scathing critique against politicians crossing over to the APC. He described them as “desperate and irrelevant” figures seeking refuge from failure or legal scrutiny. “APC is fishing desperate and irrelevant politicians into their armpits; they are looking for a non-functional population that has no use during the general elections in 2027,” Yohanna stated in an exclusive interview.
He contended that many of the governors and National Assembly members switching allegiance have either performed poorly in office or are evading the gaze of anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Echoing a past sentiment from former APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole, Yohanna suggested joining the ruling party is often perceived as a pathway to having “sins forgiven.”
As evidence of the APC’s waning appeal, Yohanna pointed to the recent Ganye State Constituency by-election in Adamawa. While the APC retained the seat in the August 2025 contest, its narrow victory margin reportedly securing around 15,923 votes against the Peoples Democratic Party’s 15,794 was framed by the ADC as a significant decline from previous performances. This, he argued, signals growing voter disillusionment with the ruling party.
Positioning the ADC as the emerging vessel for a formidable opposition, Yohanna revealed ambitious plans to field a joint ticket featuring former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate and Peter Obi, the Labour Party standard-bearer in 2023, as his running mate. “Atiku remains the only candidate with the capacity to defeat the APC in the 2027 presidential election,” he declared.
Atiku and Obi, both central figures in the last election, have been engaged in extensive coalition talks, with reports from BBC, Premium Times, and Punch indicating the ADC is a leading platform for this proposed alliance. However, the exact composition of the ticket remains unconfirmed, pending resolutions on zoning and leadership structure within the budding coalition.
Yohanna also criticized the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, specifically highlighting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s revised cash withdrawal limits set for January 2026. The policy, which caps weekly withdrawals at ₦500,000 for individuals and ₦10 million for corporates, was described as one of the measures that have “grounded the country.” He called on Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and commit to peacefully defending their votes to ensure electoral integrity.
Expressing supreme confidence in the ADC’s grassroots momentum, Yohanna predicted a clean sweep of all 21 local government chairmanship seats and councillorship positions in Adamawa’s upcoming elections.
