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| David Mark |
Firstsitenews-As momentum builds around the opposition coalition seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back, insisting that the President will triumph in the 2027 elections.
Reacting to the coalition’s meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, APC National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed the alliance as “dead on arrival,” downplaying its threat to the ruling party’s grip on power.
This response follows confirmation from multiple sources within the opposition bloc that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been adopted as the coalition’s political platform, as earlier reported by The PUNCH.
Leading opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, and former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, used the meeting to slam the APC-led government, branding it a failure.
In a communiqué issued after the high-profile meeting at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, and signed by David Mark, the coalition declared, “The APC government, which emerged through false and malicious propaganda, has turned out to be a disaster to our nation and must be removed from power.”
Mark urged Nigerians and PDP members to rally behind the coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections to ensure APC’s defeat.
Present at the strategy meeting were PDP heavyweights including former party Chairman Uche Secondus; ex-governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); alongside Senator Ben Obi, former PDP Women Leader Josephine Anenih, Senator Austin Akobundu, ex-spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan, and former Youth Leader Abdullahi Maibasira.
The Tinubu-led administration has faced mounting criticism over worsening economic hardship and escalating insecurity.
Ironically, the main opposition parties PDP, Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have also been bogged down by internal rifts, raising doubts over their individual capabilities to mount a serious challenge.
Seeking to change that narrative, opposition leaders including Atiku, Peter Obi of the LP, ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others launched a coalition on March 20 in Abuja to present a united front in 2027.
After months of speculation regarding their political base, sources confirmed to Sunday PUNCH that the group has settled on the African Democratic Congress, with former Senate President David Mark expected to serve as interim national chairman. The coalition's official unveiling is scheduled for Wednesday.
The communiqué issued after Tuesday’s meeting called on “all patriotic Nigerians and committed PDP members” to support the new alliance.
It added, “The coalition will focus on unity, security, economic stability, and a collective resolve to root out systemic corruption.
“Partners are working out strategic modalities to win elections at all levels, taking into account national and local dynamics.”
The statement also addressed the internal state of the PDP, lamenting the party’s inability to recover from its 2023 presidential election loss and the leadership vacuum created by the exit of former National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
It concluded with a scathing critique of the APC government, accusing it of weaponising state institutions and undermining democracy, while blaming PDP's internal disarray on self-serving interests and failure to adhere to party rules.
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