ABUJA: A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Salihu Moh. Lukman, has raised the alarm over internal power struggles threatening the survival of the party coalition, warning that the opposition risks handing the ruling All Progressives Congress APC an easy victory in the 2027 elections if the “madness” of fighting for party structures continues.
In a strongly worded Independence Day statement, Lukman accused ambitious politicians of turning the ADC into a battlefield for personal control rather than building it into a strong, united opposition platform.
“The madness of controlling structures of ADC is the biggest threat before us. Anybody who is not ready to work as part of a united opposition is consciously or unconsciously working for APC”, he declared.
The former APC national vice chairman expressed disappointment that instead of consolidating the coalition that adopted the ADC as its platform, leaders are already jostling for dominance ahead of 2027.
According to him, aspirants are “restless” and determined to sideline rivals in order to seize control of party structures.
Lukman cautioned that this dangerous trend undermines opposition unity not only in Kaduna but across Nigeria, where the ADC coalition was expected to serve as a rallying point for a credible alternative to the APC.
Turning to his home-state, Kaduna, the former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum PGF, specifically appealed to prominent opposition leaders, including former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Malam Jaafaru Sani and Alhaji Bashir Saidu, to resist taking sides in the internal battles.
He also cited Senator Musa Bello’s aggressive moves to dominate ADC structures in Zone 2 as a “reflection of the wider crisis,” lamenting that his association with Bello had strained ties with other opposition figures such as Senator Lawal Adamu.
Lukman warned that unless opposition leaders embrace unity and collective leadership, the ADC risks becoming yet another fractured platform incapable of mounting a serious national challenge to the APC.
“We must bear in mind, it is not just about defeating APC but about producing a government controlled by our party based on collective leadership. Anything short of producing a government managed by collective leadership under ADC will be unacceptable”, he stated.
Marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Lukman lamented what he described as a squandered opportunity to provide the needed leadership Nigerians are yearning for.
“As a citizen, I am willing to make every necessary sacrifice to move our country forward. I have no ambition to contest election. My appeal is for us to unite, because only a united ADC can unite Nigerians,” he said.
The statement exposes widening cracks within the opposition coalition and raises serious questions about whether the ADC, meant to serve as a vehicle for a broad-based alliance, can hold together long enough to challenge the APC in 2027.
