2027: Why Mega Coalition is Considering ADC – Nwosu

The National Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in an interview monitored by Myke Agunwa, reveals why his party is best positioned as a melting pot for the coalition.

Q. Has your party the ADC been adopted as the coalition party or is it still under consideration?

From the time ADC was established, the intention was to bring Nigerians together. From 2007 when we first had Prof. Pat Utomi as our presidential candidate, the intention was to bring all Nigerians together. This time, almost 20 years after, Nigerians have seen why ADC is a party. If there is any party that was tactfully put together, it is ADC.

Let me tell you why ADC will be considered by well-meaning Nigerians and patriots. I don’t know what is being considered now because I have a different assignment, we have different committees.

ADC is broad-minded, not parochial. This party was constructed to put Nigerians in the driving seat of transformation and development.

Q. It’s like you don’t want to talk about the coalition. You can’t be the national chairman and you will not know if there is a discussion going on in your party.

The different committees have met all the stakeholders, you mentioned. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai, they have met all of them. They have met a lot more, they have met Rotimi Amaechi, they have met with almost all those who ran for President in 2023 either as aspirants or candidates.

A lot of stakeholders have bought into our ideas and a few of the political parties also have bought in. So why it is difficult to say what will happen 100 percent is that it is not about them agreeing, among themselves, they have even signed a document to work together but for us, the balancing is do we want to work with these people because we are consulting with the citizens and civil societies. So there is going to be a final meeting between the civil society group and the citizens group and the critical stakeholders.

Q. Does ADC have an ideology that these people are able to connect with, or is ADC just a vehicle which they want to use to challenge President Tinubu in 2027?

Sometimes last year, ADC had a summit at Arewa House in Kaduna and we made it clear that any politician who thinks that ADC is a ‘molue’ for going to where they want to go, a multipurpose vehicle must think again.

This is what has made parties to become the weakest link in the chain of our democratic system. That is wrong because the weakest link cannot create leaders that can create the kind of transformation that we want. ADC is certainly not a vehicle.

Q. The country’s foreign policy has always been Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world. So you are not bringing anything new?

You know in Nigeria, sometimes we say that we don’t want that dichotomy of ethnicity and religion, that it is causing so much problems. In most of the parties, you will see Deputy Chairman North, Deputy Chairman South. In some of the things we do, if you want to erase certain things, you stop highlighting them.

In ADC for instance, we don’t have this person north, this person south, it creates the dichotomy that we don’t want. What we have is Deputy National Chairman that is function based. When you go through our DNA and the things we do, we have given our pamphlets to these leaders because we must start a new cause.

Q. Most Nigerian have come to accept the zoning of Presidency between the North and South. It is the turn of the South at the moment. Do you buy into that zoning arrangement?

While we are not parochial, we are very mindful because leadership must be very mindful. Being the National Chairman of a big coalition that is being formed, I have also heard from a lot of youth groups and they will say, ‘You know it is the turn of the south’.

They have made the point but one day we were taken aback when some young people came and they said, ‘we talk about equity in Nigeria, but you know what, since this democracy began, the north has done 10 years and the south has done 18 years. They said that if the south were to take another four years after Tinubu’s first tenure, it will not become 22 years to 10 years of the north’.

So it is not that straight forward but the stakeholders are meeting and proper decisions will be taken.

Q. You have been the chairman since 2006, that was a long time to continue to be chairman.

Sure, but party building is sophisticated, where we are now is not a tea party I can assure you.

Q. But is sounds almost undemocratic

You can do that with parties that are already formed. If I have left the driver’s seat, may be this party could have been deregistered and it wouldn’t play the critical role we envisioned it to play.

In a situation where as National Chairman, you burn over N200 to N500 million every year running a public trust, but how many Nigerians can run a public trust selflessly and put in this kind of money? I have done that.

I did that also when we formed APGA. I paid all the registration fee for APGA and I took that party to Anambra state and I set it up in every ward and I used it to deliver the governor at the same time.

Although, I was cheated but it doesn’t matter anymore. I am open minded, I am a builder. You don’t build and allow it to fall like a pack of cards.

Since 2005, over 103 political parties have been deregistered but I am ready to leave as National chairman the moment this coalition is formed.

Q. Taking cognizance that you have been in the party for a long time, will you be concerned that some people will come in to dislodge you.

Not at all. Each time there is a survey across the country, in 2018 when former President Obasanjo did a survey of all the political parties, he chose ADC because the character is there. When we had our discussion, he said, ‘we are trying to choose your political party but you will not be National chairman’ and I replied, ‘Mr. President, what am I doing with national chairman if people like you are taking over the party? ’.

I take it that the party is not going to be destroyed, it is going to serve the purpose for which we invested our time and money.

For me, this is another critical opportunity.

The time to rescue Nigeria has come. We want to put Nigeria on a clear trajectory for transformation and to show leadership in Africa and for people to have belief in democracy again because democracy is dying in Africa but with ADC, we will make it right and the coalition within one week or two will crystalize.

Q. Another group, the Northern League of Democrats are pushing for a new party. They said that it will be better so that everyone will find a new space in the new party rather than coming into an existing party to avoid altercations.

To start with, you do more fighting in a new party than taking an existing party where a national chairman says, ‘Come I will be a floor member”. A party is a public trust, it doesn’t belong to anybody.

Some people came to me and said, Chairman, you are the founding chairman. When you resign, would you like to be BoT Chairman and I said, what I see here are over 10 serving governors and twenty something former governors, senators and so on. I said okay, I will be floor member the day this whole thing crystalizes. And I will work to drive the process to the villa.

Q. Having put in your energy, life and sweet into this party, are you not concerned that these may be opportunistic Nigerians trying to hijack your party

We have seen such tendencies and we are working hard to tame it and bring people to a point of realization. That is why we have integrity and equilibration committee. Some of the founding members and critical stakeholders are going to be there and I am going to be chairman of that committee to make sure that we continue pursuing our philosophy, the character, the vision, everything and equilibration to make sure that equity continues to reign in the party. Those guiding principles are already established. We will not fail, I can assure you.