By Kogi News Tribune | July 4, 2025
The youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has publicly distanced itself from a newly formed opposition alliance led by prominent political figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, former Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir El-Rufai, and former Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, ADC Youth Spokesperson Musa Matara criticized the development, declaring that the party’s structure cannot be surrendered to what he described as a group of “recycled politicians” responsible for Nigeria’s past failures.
This follows a Wednesday event where a faction of the party, reportedly led by Raph Nwosu, aligned the ADC with the opposition coalition in a bid to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general election. David Mark was named interim chairman of the alliance, while Aregbesola was appointed secretary.
Matara dismissed the move as illegitimate, insisting that neither the ADC National Executive Committee nor its Working Committee authorized the appointments or coalition agreement. He further rejected claims that the party’s national leadership had resigned.
“These individuals had their time and failed Nigeria. We won’t allow them to hijack the ADC under the guise of forming a coalition,” Matara asserted. “Our party has a clear ideology, and we will not compromise it for power deals orchestrated by political veterans lacking direction.”
Meanwhile, former ADC presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu has also condemned the move, labeling the emergence of Mark as factional interim leader a betrayal of public trust. He suggested that the coalition’s true aim is to pave the way for Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition.
Kachikwu emphasized that such maneuvers do not reflect the wishes of the majority of ADC members and warned against undermining internal party democracy.
