Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has formally joined the African Democratic Party, 17 months ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, 78, announced his defection in a brief post on his X handle on Monday, where he also shared photographs of himself holding the ADC membership card with the caption, “It’s official.”
The former vice president had been a leading figure in the Peoples Democratic Party until his resignation on July 16, which he blamed on what he described as “irreconcilable differences” within the opposition party.
He said the PDP had deviated from its founding principles, adding that the party’s current direction made his continued membership untenable.
Although Atiku had in July spearheaded the adoption of the ADC as a coalition platform for opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 race, he and some key figures — including Peter Obi and Babachir Lawal — had delayed their formal registration with the party.
They were also absent during the unveiling of the ADC National Secretariat in the Wuse district of Abuja, a development that fuelled speculation about the commitment of the coalition leaders to challenge the All Progressives Congress in the coming elections.
The opposition coalition had on July 2, 2025, adopted the ADC as its vehicle to contest the presidential and other polls in 2027, vowing to “rescue the country from collapse.”
ADC National Chairman and former Senate President, David Mark, said the coalition was not merely seeking political power but working to rebuild what he called the “crumbling pillars” of Nigeria’s democracy.
“Let it be known to all that this coalition of national political opposition groups goes beyond gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.
“The mission is clear: Rescue Nigeria. Rebuild Nigeria. Return power to the people,” Mark said.
He accused the APC-led Federal Government of hijacking democratic institutions and steering the country into what he described as a “creeping descent into total civilian dictatorship” in the last two years.
Mark also alleged that the government had abandoned governance and was “consumed with politicking.”
