The Presidency has issued a firm warning to the newly formed political coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), telling its leaders to abandon any hopes of unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections and instead wait until 2031, after Tinubu would have completed his two terms in office. This remark was delivered by the Presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, during a press conference in Abuja on July 5, 2025, and has since dominated political conversation in Nigeria.
The coalition, unveiled recently in Abuja, includes prominent opposition figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark (who chairs the ADC), Peter Obi—the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, among others. The organization has positioned the ADC as a viable platform to confront the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) and steal power from President Tinubu’s government in the next elections.
However, the Presidency denounced the alliance as a "purely opportunistic gathering of disgruntled politicians," accusing its leaders of missing the political and democratic credentials essential to launch a serious challenge to Tinubu. Sunday Dare underlined that none of the coalition’s leaders commands the type of devotion or trust that Tinubu has, nor do they possess his electoral track record. He emphasized Tinubu’s strategic patience and long-term political preparation, which resulted in the establishment of a credible political platform and his uninterrupted record of election triumphs.
Dare further asserted that the President "already rests with the region rightfully due," alluding to the South and that this arrangement will stay unchanged until 2031. He said that the coalition’s claim to be eliminating structural inequity was a façade hiding its actual motives—"avarice ambition to satisfy the cravings of a few for the control of the National treasury." According to him, there is no true wrong to rectify, just personal goals driving the alliance.
The Presidential spokesman compared the present alliance with the historic 2013 merger that created the APC, which effectively removed the then-incumbent party in 2015. He portrayed the merger as motivated by selflessness, national interest, and strategic discipline, with leaders prepared to lay aside personal goals for the greater good. In comparison, he argued, the ADC alliance lacks such cohesiveness and national purpose, making its chances of victory poor.
This severe warning from the Presidency comes amid escalating political tensions as Nigeria approaches the 2027 national elections. The ADC coalition’s establishment signifies a dramatic realignment in the opposition scene, bringing together some of the country’s most important political personalities. Their declared purpose is to disrupt the APC’s supremacy and give an alternative to Tinubu’s government, which has been in power since 2023.
Despite the coalition’s objectives, political observers note that the Presidency’s confidence in Tinubu’s grasp on power is built on his wide political network and successes in government over the last two years. Tinubu’s government has allegedly achieved substantial achievements in governance and policy execution, which the Presidency thinks have strengthened his position and popularity throughout Nigeria.
Critics of the coalition believe that the partnership is more about personal political survival and access to power than meaningful change or solving national concerns. The coalition’s diversified membership, although impressive on paper, is considered by some as a collection of politicians with conflicting interests rather than a coherent group unified by a similar goal.
The political dynamics in Nigeria remain unpredictable, with the 2027 elections expected to be severely fought. The Presidency’s instruction to wait until 2031 illustrates its confidence in Tinubu’s political longevity and the hurdles the opposition confronts in launching a credible campaign against him. Whether the ADC alliance can overcome internal tensions and present a unified front remains to be seen, but for now, the Presidency has made its stance clear: the seat of power will stay with Tinubu and the South until at least 2031.
This event adds another dimension to Nigeria’s complicated political environment, underscoring the continuous fight for control among the country’s elite and the strategic calculations that govern electoral politics. As the 2027 elections near, all eyes will be on the ADC coalition’s next actions and the reaction from the governing APC, setting the scene for a potentially fierce political confrontation in the years ahead.
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