The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has said the party has regained stability following the defection of key political figures, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, Abdullahi admitted that the departure of the two prominent politicians initially came as a surprise but insisted the party had moved on.
“On the issue of people leaving our party, especially the big wigs… yes, of course, it came to us a little bit as a surprise, but we’ve moved on from that. It was a glitch… but we’ve stabilised and we’re moving forward,” he said.
He maintained that the ADC remains focused on its broader objective of strengthening multi-party democracy and addressing what he described as the steady deterioration of governance in Nigeria.
Abdullahi stressed that despite the setbacks, efforts to build a broad opposition coalition were still alive, noting that a united front remains the most viable path to challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in future elections.
“The vision of building a big coalition of opposition political parties is still a possibility… because we are convinced that a unified opposition stands a better chance of challenging for power,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that the failure to bring major opposition figures under one platform was a setback, not just for the ADC but for the wider opposition movement.
“It is not a setback for the ADC in particular, but a setback for the opposition coalition… once you have a three or four-horse race against the incumbent, it’s always an advantage to the incumbent,” Abdullahi noted, adding that the development was not a fatal blow to ongoing coalition efforts.
According to him, discussions were still ongoing among stakeholders with the aim of producing a single presidential candidate capable of taking on the ruling party.
“Our hope… is that we will all still be able to find a way to work together… conversation is still possible in that direction,” he said.
On the contentious issue of zoning, Abdullahi said the ADC would adopt a strategic approach rather than a purely principled one, emphasising that the party’s primary goal is to win elections.
“We are going to assess the field… and look at what gives us strategic advantage… the purpose of a political party is to win elections,” he said.
He clarified that recent comments by Atiku Abubakar on zoning do not represent the party’s official position, noting that the ADC has yet to take a formal stance.
Addressing Obi’s defection, Abdullahi said only the former Labour Party presidential candidate could explain his reasons for leaving, adding that the party had no prior indication of dissatisfaction.
“I cannot speak for him… there had not been any conversation around any grievances,” he said, describing the exits of Obi and Kwankwaso as unexpected.
On security, Abdullahi criticised the concept of “homeland security,” describing it as ideologically loaded and misaligned with Nigeria’s internal security realities.
He warned that creating additional security roles alongside existing structures such as the National Security Adviser and Chief of Defence Staff could complicate coordination rather than improve it.
“You are likely to add more to the chaos rather than making coordination easier,” he said.
Outlining the ADC’s security strategy, Abdullahi highlighted a four-point framework focusing on strengthening local intelligence gathering, enhancing state-level deterrence, improving national enforcement, and deepening regional cooperation to tackle cross-border crimes.
He added that regional collaboration remains critical to addressing insecurity, particularly given the transnational nature of many threats facing the country.
