The African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition has indicated it will not adhere to the principle of zoning for its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, despite calls for Southern Nigeria to complete its eight-year term in the presidency.

This stance contrasts sharply with the popular agitation that led to a significant internal crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023. The PDP’s decision to field a northern candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against its zoning agreement, contributed to internal rebellion and open support for the current APC President, Bola Tinubu.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, speaking on AIT, stated that the party’s focus is on building a robust, grassroots-based political structure nationwide. He emphasized that the ADC’s approach to the 2027 election will be based on merit and national interest, rather than traditional zoning arrangements.

Abdullahi clarified that the ADC is not solely fixated on the presidency, viewing such an obsession as a cause of political dysfunction. Instead, the party aims to build capacity across all levels to contest and win governorships, legislative seats, and positions in state assemblies.

“A party cannot be something built on nothing. We must first build the structure, and when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. Our emphasis now is on readiness, organization, and credibility,” he explained.

He criticized the current state of Nigerian politics, which remains deeply divided along regional and ethnic lines, arguing that both the APC and PDP often prioritize power-sharing over competence and unity. Abdullahi described the ADC as a necessary intervention, born from a coalition of individuals who recognized Nigeria was “sliding dangerously toward a one-party state.” He claimed that for a decade, Nigerians have lacked a viable opposition, with the APC governing without checks and the PDP struggling to offer coherent alternatives.

The ADC, adopted by the coalition on July 2, aims to offer a “bold and issue-based engagement” with the ruling party, presenting “a better way of doing politics: focused, principled, and people-driven.”

Meanwhile, Peter Obi, a prominent figure, criticized President Tinubu for allegedly “overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics.”

The ADC is currently focused on grassroots mobilization, with Abdullahi stating, “Real political change does not begin in high offices; it starts at the grassroots.” He highlighted efforts in the South East and South South to establish strong community-based structures and pointed to recent momentum in the South West.

This position from the ADC comes weeks after its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, alleged that a PDP bloc within the coalition, led by former Senate President David Mark, was designed to ensure Atiku Abubakar becomes the 2027 presidential flag bearer. Kachikwu dared the coalition leaders to prove him wrong by publicly declaring that the 2027 presidential ticket would be zoned to the South.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of compounding the country’s economic woes by feeding citizens with wrong statistics.

Obi, who made the allegation in a statement he posted on his X page on Monday, regretted that under Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has become one of the world’s hungriest nations. He warned that the president, after taking power, is now circulating false figures regarding Nigeria’s economic status in order to hide his failings as President.

He wrote: “In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta State, the then APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu, now the President, berated the other Presidential Candidate (Peter Obi); he was ashamed to call his name, saying, ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians.’

“Now, two years into his four-year tenure, Nigeria is classified as one of the hungriest nations in the world, with millions of Nigerians not knowing where their next meal will come from.

“President Tinubu is now overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics, from wrong unemployment figures, wrong inflation figures, and now GDP debasing, all to put a positive spin on our deteriorating economic and household conditions.

“Governance is not rocket science. It’s not a gamble. Like I have always reiterated, it requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion.”