ADC explains why Atiku skipped G100 opposition summit

Atiku Abubakar’s absence from an Abuja summit of Nigerian opposition parties was not considered a problem by the African Democratic Congress, which said the meeting focused on parties rather than presidential candidates.

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The summit is more about conversation between political parties, rather than conversation among candidates.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the G100 summit was intended to explore cooperation between political organisations. Speaking on Arise Television, he said the party had been fully represented, with himself and four vice chairmen attending.

The Monday meeting at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre brought representatives of six opposition parties together to discuss possible cooperation before the 2027 elections. Atiku, Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and other prominent figures did not attend. Donald Duke, Adewole Adebayo and Moses Adebisi were among the presidential candidates present.

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We in the African Democratic Congress, we are happy to have this conversation, but everything we are doing is not dependent on whether we are able to produce a single presidential candidate.

Abdullahi said the ADC was willing to participate in talks without making its involvement conditional on the opposition producing a single presidential candidate. He said the party believed it could defeat President Bola Tinubu on its own, while cooperation could make that task easier.

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We are saying that on our own, as the ADC, we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027. But if we are able to negotiate this cooperation, then it makes the job easier.

He identified fuel subsidies as a possible ideological fault line in any broader coalition. The ADC supports restoring the subsidy as a central part of its plan to reduce living costs, and Abdullahi said potential partners would need to address differences over that policy.

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the ideological pillar