Politics

2027: ADC Won’t Handover Structures To Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, Others – Lukman

Published

10 months ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

One of the foremost promoters of the anti-Tinubu coalition in the African Democratic Congress ADC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has declared that the party will not hand over its structures to any of its leading lights who might be seeking the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

While a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared his interest in flying the party’s flags, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party LP Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi are speculated to also have an interest in securing the ticket.

Lukman who was a guest on Jigsaw, a programme on the African Independent Television AIT monitored Tuesday in Abuja, said the plan is to build the structures of the ADC in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win elections and assume positions.

He said the coalition did not go into the ADC arrangement with its eyes closed or desperate to have a political party. “We took our time. We did not negotiate with just one individual, we negotiated with the whole leadership”.

“What we are telling everybody in the coalition is that the structures of the party will not be handed over to aspiring candidates.

“We have to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions”, he stated.

On how the coalition scaled all the legal hurdles before unveiling ADC as its political platform, Lukman said; “I can tell you that we opened negotiations with a wide range of parties and we went through processes including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and if there were any pending litigations. In the process, we were also able to check with INEC and get all the substantive issues.

“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigations, there are issues which, even by INEC records, if you go there, you will find out that they have been resolved long ago.

“At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact more than once, all the members of the National Working Committee of ADC”.

The former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC also disclosed that the ADC 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu was no longer a member of the party.

He said; “I want to make it very clear and if you check with INEC, you will find out that even the Dumebi Kachikwu, who came out to make noise, by the records of INEC, based on the Certified True Copies of proceedings of organs, legitimate organs of the ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu and some others, I think about 15 of them, had been expelled from the party. I can’t remember exactly when. So, we didn’t go into this blindly.

“We were very clear that we were on very safe ground, and proceeding further, we are not supplanting the leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners, they are stakeholders and I am sure in not too distant time from now, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark and Aregbesola will release possible guidelines to guide the position at the state level and how the whole reorganization of the structures of the party will proceed.

“So, I want to make it very clear, we are not approaching this activity based on the conventional process of just going to hijack a structure and begin to organize it in such a way we produce candidates and this led me to the critical point and I think we have to continue to talk to ourselves as members of the coalition we came this far largely because we have appealed to all our leaders to please suspend expression of their ambitions until we are able to build structures.

“We have succeeded so far, which is why we are able to have the unity you have seen and I think that suspension of expression of ambitions has to continue. I can see some leaders have already become hyper-reactive.

“The coalition and 2027 are not all about producing candidates who will end up producing another disappointment, which is basically about producing unaccountable leaders and if care is not taken, also producing another set of emperors as elected representatives who will not listen to the party just the same way we have a situation where leaders of APC today don’t do not even respect the party”, he said.

Lukman also revealed that there is no difference between the All Democratic Alliance ADA and ADC, adding that both the ADC and ADA were decisions of the coalition.

“A special committee was set up by the coalition and it was based on the determination that we are not going to leave anything unturned to ensure that by 2027, we present an option to Nigerians. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state.

“So we spread our tentacles and ensured that we went ahead and mandate the committee to put up the application.

“All we can say is that whatever happens, Nigerians will have an option. Our right as Nigerians as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria to participate in elections will be exercised beyond the confines of the APC. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state”, he said.

Politics

VIDEO: Akpabio, Oshiomhole Clash Amid 2027 Intrigues

Published

28 minutes ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

What began as a routine legislative procedure on Wednesday spiralled into a high-voltage confrontation in the Senate, as Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Adams Oshiomhole engaged in a dramatic face-off that exposed simmering political tensions tied to the 2027 power game.

The immediate trigger was procedural: Oshiomhole attempted to raise a point of order just as Akpabio moved to confirm the Votes and Proceedings of the previous sitting.

But the refusal of the Senate President to recognise him—despite repeated shouts of “point of order!”—quickly transformed the moment into a charged standoff.

Oshiomhole appeared determined to be heard, repeatedly interrupting proceedings in a manner that unsettled the chamber.

Attempts by Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno to restore calm failed, as the Edo North senator pressed on.

In a stern and calculated response, Akpabio asserted his authority, invoking the Senate Standing Orders and reading out provisions that underline his sweeping powers to control debate, interpret rules, and discipline erring lawmakers.

“The rules and laws governing the Senate Chamber… are clearly defined,” he said, before reeling off his constitutional and procedural powers.
He did not stop there.

“Let me be clear… many people may not have seen this order,” Akpabio added pointedly, in remarks that drew murmurs across the chamber.

As the exchange intensified, he issued a direct warning: any senator who becomes unruly would be asked to leave.

“This is the final warning,” he declared but beneath the surface, the clash carried deeper political undertones.

Multiple sources within the National Assembly suggest Oshiomhole’s insistence on raising a point of order may not have been merely procedural.

The former Edo State Governor is widely believed to be nursing ambitions for the Senate Presidency in 2027 and Wednesday’s confrontation is being interpreted in some quarters as an early signal of discontent with the current power structure.

At the heart of the tension is a controversial amendment to Senate rules, which critics say has effectively narrowed the 2027 Senate Presidency race to a select circle of insiders—years before the first vote is cast.
For figures like Oshiomhole, the development is said to be deeply unsettling.

Insiders claim the amendments are part of a broader political calculation to shape the leadership of the next National Assembly.

According to multiple accounts, the move is allegedly backed by powerful interests within the ruling establishment seeking to ensure that the Senate leadership remains firmly aligned with the executive arm.

Critics argue that the strategy is designed to shut out independent or unpredictable contenders, preempt internal rebellion, and ultimately shield the executive from robust legislative scrutiny.

Within this context, Wednesday’s drama is being viewed less as a spontaneous breakdown of order and more as a clash rooted in control, ambition, and the future leadership of the Senate.

To some observers, Akpabio’s firm handling of the situation was a necessary assertion of order.

To others, it signalled the use of institutional authority to silence dissent at a politically sensitive moment.

Either way, the explosive exchange has laid bare a Senate increasingly defined not just by lawmaking—but by high-stakes maneuvering ahead of 2027.

Watch the video here

Politics

JUST IN: Former APC National Youth Leader Dumps Party

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Sadiq Abubakar, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Leader has announced his decision to dump the ruling party.

Abubakar who disclosed this in an interview with Newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday, explained that his decision was unconnected with the hardship faced by many Nigerian homes due to difficult policies and programmes by the APC.

According to him, the move was also driven by an objective of securing free and fair victory in future election primaries so as to continue to serve the people with strength and integrity.

He stated that his decision followed a series of consultations with family, friends, political associates and stakeholders saying this was after a careful reflection on recent developments within the party structure and internal arrangements.

“It is high time to adopt a party with a more clear vision and the compassion to help the common man.

“The APC processes are not working, the party is not just and fair. I’m leaving the party because there is no fairness in the electoral processes of the party as well as the consensus.

“And I know that they are not going to be fair in the forthcoming primaries but they will only use the power of incumbency.

“Also, what the party is doing to every family is becoming something else as it’s becoming too hard to put a three square meal on the table,” he said.

The Former APC National Youth Leader however, affirmed that he would soon reveal the new political party of his destination in no distant time.

Politics

Defection: Peter Obi Simply Looking For ‘Food Is Ready’ Party – Wike

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe on former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent defection.

Speaking during a media parley on Wednesday, Wike said Obi is looking for a ‘food is ready’ political party.

The minister said, “Obi was in APGA, he couldn’t build APGA. He went to Labour, he ran away again from Labour. All he’s looking for is food is ready political party.”

Recall that Obi and Rabi’u Kwankwaso, former presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, on Sunday officially joined the NDC ahead of the 2027 general elections.