Struggle for Presidential Ticket Will Be ADC’s Biggest Test, Says Datti Baba-Ahmed

Datti Baba-Ahmed, former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has described the race for the presidential ticket within the newly formed opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as its most daunting challenge ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Baba-Ahmed said that while the ADC coalition has sparked national excitement, the enthusiasm must be carefully managed. He warned that Nigerians, disillusioned by current socio-economic hardship, may be overly swayed by the momentum of the new alliance without critically evaluating its structure and sustainability.

The ADC coalition was unveiled on Wednesday as a joint opposition front against President Bola Tinubu. Key political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have emerged as central players in the coalition’s formation. Both Obi and Amaechi have publicly promoted the idea of a single-term presidency, while Atiku is reportedly positioning himself for yet another presidential bid.

Drawing parallels to the 2015 formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Baba-Ahmed noted that a significant difference lies in the absence of a clear frontrunner within the ADC. He pointed out that the APC had an early consensus around Muhammadu Buhari as its preferred candidate, with Bola Tinubu playing a key supportive role that helped solidify the alliance. In contrast, he said, the ADC coalition lacks a similarly agreed-upon figure, which could lead to intense infighting and a possibly fractious primary process.

“There are structural misgivings in the coalition as it is today,” he said. “This opposition does not have a distant anointed \[candidate]. There will be a very close gap and tight struggle for it—possibly not so clean primary and struggle for it. The question is what will be the aftermath.”

Despite these concerns, Baba-Ahmed revealed that he is open to joining the coalition while still maintaining his affiliation with the Labour Party. He expressed support for the objectives of the ADC platform but cautioned that the path ahead would be far from smooth.