Saturday July 05, 2025
Former Kaduna State Governor and prominent opposition figure, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed plans to register a new political party as a back-up platform for the opposition coalition, raising concerns over possible interference from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which the coalition recently adopted.
El-Rufai, who is also a chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), made the disclosure during an interview with Radio France International (RFI) Hausa Service, Newsweek reported.
He stated that the new party would serve as an alternative vehicle should the ADC be destabilized by internal strife allegedly orchestrated by the APC.
“The opposition parties’ alliance in the ADC is temporary, and we may register a new party as a second option, which we will move to should the ADC be instigated into crisis by the government,” El-Rufai said.
The opposition coalition, composed of various political leaders and parties, had officially adopted the ADC as its unifying platform on Wednesday as part of broader efforts to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
However, El-Rufai raised alarm that the APC may attempt to sabotage the coalition by inciting longstanding ADC members against the newly-installed leadership aligned with the coalition’s interests.
He further alleged that those resisting pressure to defect to the APC often face threats of politically motivated investigations by federal anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC, ICPC, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
“The government is using these institutions to intimidate politicians who refuse to join the APC,” he claimed.
