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By Myke Agunwa
After several months of suspense, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday formally registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Pointblanknews.com reported that in July 2025, Atiku led a coalition of opposition stalwarts, including Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, to adopting the ADC as their joint platform to oust Tinubu.
Earlier in his resignation letter from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dated July 16, 2025, and addressed to the Jada 1 Ward chairman, Atiku lambasted the party for “irreconcilable differences” and a “departure from its founding principles of inclusivity and progress.” The letter, which went viral, accused PDP leadership of prioritizing personal agendas over national unity, a veiled critique of the party’s internal power struggles that marred its 2023 presidential bid, where he lost to Tinubu.
Atiku’s registration will ignite fresh challenges for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The 78-year-old political heavyweight, who flew into Yola from Abuja aboard his private jet, arrived at the Jada 1 Ward office of the ADC in Jada Local Government Area amid a resounding welcome from hundreds of supporters.
Drums were beat rhythmically as placards bearing his image and slogans like “Atiku for President 2027” bobbed in the air, and chants of “Turaki Adamawa!”, his traditional title, echoed through the dusty streets.
Flanked by a convoy of over 50 vehicles, Atiku stepped out briefly to wave at the jubilant crowd before collecting his official ADC membership card from party officials.
“It’s official,” Atiku declared in a terse post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, sharing a photograph of himself clutching the green-and-white card emblazoned with the ADC logo.
In a statement released shortly after, he said, “The real opposition has begun. Today marks not just my entry into the ADC, but the dawn of a renewed commitment to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of economic hardship, insecurity, and mis-governance under the APC. We will build bridges, unite the disenchanted, and deliver the leadership Nigeria deserves.”
The registration ceremony was overseen by ADC Adamawa State Chairman Shehu Yohanna and Senator Sadiq Yar’Adua, national secretary of the party’s registration and mobilization committee.
Notable figures in attendance included former Adamawa Governor Bindow Jibrilla, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, and former Bauchi Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, a key allies who defected alongside Atiku from the PDP.
The state chairman in his remarks, hailed the moment as “historic,” announcing that Atiku’s enrollment would trigger a statewide membership drive across all 21 local government areas and 226 wards in Adamawa, Atiku’s political heartland.
Meanwhile, hours after the registration, a rival Nafiu Bala-led faction of the ADC, locked in a protracted leadership crisis with the David Mark-backed national executive issued a scathing statement declaring Atiku’s enrollment “invalid and unauthorized.” Through its spokesperson Christopher Okechukwu, the faction claimed the Jada Ward exercise bypassed “legitimate ward executives” and accused Atiku of using the party as a “temporary vehicle” while eyeing a PDP reconciliation. “The ADC is a movement for true reform, not a launchpad for personal ambition,” the statement read, urging Atiku to “follow due process” amid ongoing court battles over party control.