From Divine Macaulay, in Kaduna
As the newly formed opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) takes shape with the ambition of unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, the National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA), Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje, has voiced strong reservations about the viability of the coalition, citing lack of structure and cohesion.
Speaking in Kaduna, Omo-Aje described the coalition as a loose alliance of political figures driven by personal ambition rather than a unified political front capable of mounting a serious challenge to the APC.
According to him, unlike the 2013 merger that gave birth to the APC—which was a coalition of four fully registered and structured political parties including the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)—the present coalition lacks similar political grounding.
“The APC did not emerge as a new party from scratch. It was the product of a strategic and structured merger of opposition parties with existing political capital, including state governors, National and State Assembly members, and grassroots supporters,” Omo-Aje noted.
He maintained that the current coalition, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, is essentially a gathering of presidential hopefuls without the support of the leadership of key opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).
“Most of those in the coalition are individuals pushing personal agendas, not representing established parties. There is no agreed political framework or structure, and that’s the first recipe for failure,” he said.
Omo-Aje further expressed concern over the absence of consensus on who would fly the coalition’s flag in the presidential race, calling it a major stumbling block that could derail the group’s objective.
“The most disturbing issue is the lack of clarity on who will lead the coalition. Without party structures, leadership consensus, or ideological alignment, it will be difficult to convince Nigerians that this group is ready to govern,” he stated.
Recall that the coalition, comprising prominent political figures including ex-Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, claims its objective is to address what it described as Nigeria’s worsening economic and political situation under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
However, Nigeria’s opposition parties have continued to suffer from defections of key political leaders to the ruling APC, further weakening the prospect of a formidable challenge in the next electoral cycle.
Despite the coalition’s rhetoric of unity and reform, critics like Omo-Aje argued that without deep-rooted political organization and widespread popular support, the effort could amount to mere political posturing.
