…El-Rufai positioned as running mate
By Spear News Reporters
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reportedly zoned its presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, setting the stage for a high stakes battle between former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Spear News has learned.
The development came as the opposition coalition members were said to have adopted a one term South-north presidency zoning arrangement for the 2027 elections, with former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as likely a consensus choice for running mate.
The rumour, which was confirmed to Spear News by authoritative party sources, was further reinforced by former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who declared in a televised interview on Thursday that the ADC has ‘an obligation to field a Southern candidate’—a statement seen as a strong signal of the party’s direction.
The coalition has not yet officially announced which region will get the presidency, but Amaechi argued in a Channels TV interview that the South should be given a four-year term in 2027.
“Of course. Let me tell you why. For now, the way Nigeria is, you must keep to that agreement—unwritten agreement—that says South eight years, North eight years.”
Spear News reports that the ADC was formally unveiled on 2nd July 2025 as the alternative platform for the Atiku Abubakar-led opposition coalition, designed to present a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s expected re-election bid.
It was learnt that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s involvement as chief negotiator adds both weight and complexity to the coalition building process. His role recalls the 2014 negotiations that birthed the APC, though some observers question whether his contentious history with various political actors might prove more divisive than unifying. He had issues with Jonathan, then Buhari who he supported in 2014. Obasanjo was also involved in the 2019 plot that intended to outs former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The birth of the coalition marks the conclusion of extensive negotiations between opposition leaders to present a unified challenge in the 2027 elections, preventing a repeat of vote-splitting that benefited the ruling party.
President Tinubu secured victory in 2023 with only 37% of the vote, as opposition support was divided between Abubakar (29%) and Obi (25%). This division occurred after Obi left the PDP when it sselected Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
During the coalition’s unveiling with the ADC, interim chairman David Mark framed the alliance as crucial to preserving Nigeria’s democracy and preventing one-party dominance. The move came as both PDP and LP grapple with internal crises that many attribute to external interference.
Central to the arrangement is a negotiated one term presidency for Obi, Amaechi or any other southern candidate with already a current serving goverbor from the North East reportedly endorsed by some forces within the APC as a potential successor, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing discussions.
Sources within the ADC confirmed that the party’s leadership has been locked in intense negotiations even before its July 2 official launch as the coalition platform for opposition forces.
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, who recently submitted his proposal to leadership of the coalition, has confirmed he will contest the 2027 presidential election. Obi added that he was willing to serve a single four-year term if elected.
He made the declaration on Sunday night while speaking during a live session on X Spaces, where he answered questions from supporters both in Nigeria and abroad.
Similarly, in a statement released on Monday by his spokesman, Ibrahim Umar of the Peter Obi Media Reach, Obi dismissed claims of a possible joint ticket with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Not to be outdone, Amaechi has matched Obi’s offer during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today. When asked if he would commit to a single term, the former Transportation Minister responded bluntly: “Of course. I told you. You know that I speak my mind.” He framed his position as a matter of national stability, recalling his role in the 2015 power transition: “I led the fight against the PDP government because there was an agreement that the government at that time would spend four years.”
The ADC’s Southern zoning decision appears designed to maintain Nigeria’s delicate North-South power rotation tradition, which saw President Bola Tinubu (Southwest) succeed Muhammadu Buhari (Northwest) in 2023.
For now, the way Nigeria is, you must keep to that agreement – unwritten agreement – that says South eight years, North eight years, Amaechi emphasised during his television interview.
While the presidential contenders jostle for position, Nasir El-Rufai has emerged as the coalition’s preferred running mate. The arrangement was reportedly brokered by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was said to have been persuaded to abandon his own 2027 ambitions to play the role of a kingmaker.
“Atiku has thrown his weight behind El-Rufai as running mate to either Obi or Amaechi, creating a balanced ticket”, a source confirmed to Spear News.
It was also learnt that no fewer than five serving governors from the North have quietly aligned with the movement were already investing in the movement from underground, while several PDP governors are expected to defect before year-end. Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke is said to be preparing to seek reelection under the ADC banner.
Financial backing for the coalition is allegedly coming principally from some northern governors. It was also learnt that Niger and Kwara have notably resisted pressure to join the coalition or funding arrangement.
Nigerians too smart to fall for your grand folly- APC taunts opposition coalition
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched an attack on the newly unveiled African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the opposition coalition as a desperate gathering of power hungry politicians with no real vision for Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC described the ADC’s much publicised launch as a “gasping whimper” rather than the roaring revolution its promoters had promised.
The APC did not mince words in its condemnation, labeling the ADC a “coalition of hoaxers and self-obsessed merchants of vendetta.” The statement accused the opposition of being a “roll call of Nigeria’s me-or-nothing politicians” who prioritize personal ambition over national interest.
“These are individuals who cannot bear to be out of the corridors of power and patronage,” the statement read. “They are desperate to grab power for themselves by guile and subterfuge, laying claim to an immoral birthright to power, even while draped in an odious record of betrayal of public trust and rapacious public service.”
The ruling party reserved particular scorn for the speech delivered by Senator David Mark, the ADC’s National Chairman, dismissing it as “disgracefully vacant, without substance or purpose.” According to the APC, Mark’s address was “nothing but stitches of untruths, diatribe, and regurgitated, baseless allegations against the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
“From beginning to end, Senator Mark said nothing about the purpose of the so-called coalition other than a loud declaration of desperation for power,” the statement continued. “What value does this coalition bring to Nigerians? Why should any Nigerian be concerned about a coalition of a bunch of egotistical maniacs for whom power and patronage are the oxygen on which their lives depend?”
The APC further mocked the ADC for failing to present any concrete policy alternatives to the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms. The statement questioned the philosophical and ideological foundation of the coalition, asking, “What exactly is the philosophical or ideological leaning of this coalition or its new party, aside from desperation for power at all cost, by all means necessary and unnecessary?”
“One would have expected that, after months of vacillating between the devil and the deep blue sea in search of a host platform, Senator Mark and his co-travelers would take Nigerians seriously enough by telling them what their coalition would do differently,” the APC said.
The ruling party insisted that Nigerians are too discerning to be swayed by what it called the ADC’s “grand folly.” “They must think Nigerians to be gullible and uncritical,” the statement read. “Quite to the contrary, Nigerians are highly perceptive and discerning and will not be taken in by the coalition’s desperate antics.”
In contrast to the ADC’s perceived emptiness, the APC highlighted the Tinubu administration’s economic achievements, including a GDP growth rate of 3.4%, external reserves rising from $4 billion in 2023 to over $24 billion in 2024, and a reduction in debt service-to-revenue ratio from 99% to 40%.
The statement also pointed to declining inflation, improved trade surpluses, increased revenue allocations to states and local governments, and significant infrastructure developments in roads, healthcare, and education. “Even with our oil exports at an all-time high, with unprecedented quarter-on-quarter trade surpluses, and with vast stability in the foreign exchange market, these opposition elements would stop at nothing to denigrate the success and transformative impact of reform policies for their own base interests,” the APC said.
While the ADC “remains preoccupied swimming in mud and throwing bricks,” the APC vowed to stay focused on nation-building. “Our great Party and President Tinubu remain undisturbed and focused on using all available bricks to build a stronger, enduring, and more prosperous nation for this and future generations of Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
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