By Abdulraheem Kawthar Adenike | Fact Frontier.
Click here to read more about the reporter.
The African Democratic Congress, also called ADC, has said that it is getting ready to fight very hard in the 2027 general elections. The party has promised to build strong support across Nigeria so that it can remove President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from power and also win elections in many states, including Lagos. This news has become a hot topic in politics because it shows that the opposition parties are already preparing even though the elections are still years away.
The ADC is not working alone. Many important politicians from different parties have now joined hands to form what is being called a coalition. A coalition simply means that many groups come together to work as one because they believe they can achieve more together than when they are divided. In this case, the coalition has agreed to use the ADC as their main political platform. The new group is filled with big names in Nigerian politics.
One of the key leaders is David Mark, a former Senate President. He has been chosen to serve as the interim national chairman of the party. According to a report from Daily Trust on September 11, 2025, David Mark was officially introduced at the adoption event. Another important person is Rauf Aregbesola, the former Minister of Interior. He was named the interim secretary of the new coalition. This shows that the group is not just made up of ordinary people but also experienced politicians who have held powerful positions in the country.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is also part of this movement. He has run for president several times and is seen as one of the strongest figures in Nigerian politics. Alongside him is Peter Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election. Both men are now working with the ADC coalition to create what they believe will be a strong force against President Tinubu. A news report from Business Day described it as
a mission to unseat Tinubu in 2027.
The plan of this coalition is simple but ambitious. They want to reach ordinary Nigerians at the grassroots level. Grassroots means the people at the bottom level of society, such as market traders, farmers, workers, and students. The coalition believes that if they can win the hearts of these everyday Nigerians, then they will have the numbers to win the elections. This is why the strategy is described as grassroots mobilisation. They want to mobilise, or gather, support from millions of ordinary people across villages, towns, and cities.
While talking about their plans, leaders of the coalition explained that the 2027 elections would not just be about Abuja, which is the capital of Nigeria, but also about key states like Lagos. Lagos is the home state of President Tinubu and one of the most powerful states in Nigerian politics. Winning Lagos would be a big achievement for the ADC coalition and would send a strong message to the ruling All Progressives Congress, also known as APC. A source at the event told Daily Trust,
We must build from the grassroots if we want to compete in Lagos and also at the federal level.
But it will not be easy. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been in politics for many years. He built his political base in Lagos and later spread his influence across Nigeria. He is also the leader of the APC, which has many governors, senators, and other elected leaders across the country. This means the ADC coalition has a lot of work to do before they can achieve their dream of unseating him.
Still, the leaders of the new coalition believe they have the right team and ideas. David Mark, while speaking at the event, said that the group was not just about taking power but also about saving Nigeria from what he called a dangerous future. “Our mission is to rebuild Nigeria on the foundation of justice, fairness, and unity,” he said, according to Daily Trust. He also called on young people and women to join the movement, saying that the coalition is open to everyone who wants a better Nigeria.
Political experts believe that if the coalition stays united, it could pose a serious challenge to the APC in 2027. But the problem with many coalitions in Nigeria is that they often break apart before elections because of disagreements over who should lead. For example, in 2019 and 2023, some opposition groups tried to unite but failed to maintain their partnership. The question now is whether this new coalition around the ADC will remain strong or collapse before 2027.
According to Nigerians, the news of this coalition may sound like politics as usual. But some citizens are hopeful that competition in elections will bring new ideas and force the ruling party to perform better. A Lagos resident quoted in Business Day said,
If these politicians are serious, then we may finally see change. But they must not fight themselves before the election.
To end this, the ADC coalition has announced that it will work hard to remove President Bola Tinubu in 2027. With leaders like David Mark, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rauf Aregbesola, they have already shown that this is not a small movement. Their strategy is to win the grassroots and to target Lagos as well as the federal level. Only time will tell if they will succeed, but one thing is certain: the race for 2027 has already begun.
