Abuja, Nigeria — A chieftain of Nigeria’s opposition coalition, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has issued a stern warning to the interim leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), cautioning against emerging signs of political manipulation and the reintroduction of godfatherism within the party as preparations begin for the 2027 general elections.
Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and erstwhile Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), raised the alarm in a statement released on Tuesday titled “ADC and the Prospect of Internal Democracy.”
According to him, early actions by some influential figures within the coalition—particularly those now serving in interim leadership roles—are beginning to mirror the very practices Nigerians rejected in previous political platforms.
The ADC has recently drawn prominent opposition leaders under its umbrella, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. As part of its ongoing restructuring, the party appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and ex-Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola as interim national secretary.
But Lukman expressed concern that the restructuring process is being hijacked by powerful figures seeking to install their loyalists in key positions, sidelining merit, competence, and broad-based consensus.
“The truth is that the negative side of almost all our opposition political leaders is already at play,” Lukman said. “Many are taking steps to manipulate the process of leadership reformation of the ADC. Loyalists are being promoted in a manner that suggests perhaps the 2027 elections are already won.”
He warned that the imposition of candidates and disregard for transparency could derail the coalition’s efforts to offer Nigerians a credible alternative in the next elections.
Lukman emphasized that leadership roles within the party must be filled based on track record, credibility, popular acceptance, and integrity—not mere loyalty to powerful individuals.
“The struggle to ensure that loyalists of leaders emerge as leaders of the reformed ADC disregards the values we all agreed upon—intellectual capacity, integrity, performance history, name recognition, respect in political and community circles, and general acceptability,” he stated.
He further warned that without deliberate efforts to entrench internal democracy, the ADC risks becoming a replica of the very parties it seeks to replace.
“We must caution our leaders. Nigerians will not be deceived by any cosmetic design of presenting another party that is only a duplicated copy of our old parties. With the way things are going, coalition leaders will emerge as godfathers, and the next thing is that they will impose their surrogates at all levels,” Lukman warned.
He concluded by challenging Senator Mark to demonstrate true leadership by resisting these trends and safeguarding the party’s democratic credentials.
“The first real test of Senator Mark’s leadership will be his ability to prevent the ADC from becoming a godfather-controlled party,” he said. “Only then can we assure Nigerians that this coalition offers something genuinely different.”
Lukman’s remarks have stirred fresh debate within political circles, as attention turns to how the ADC navigates its internal arrangements in the run-up to the 2027 polls.
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