ADC crisis deepens as Lukman suspends membership, accuses El-Rufai of hostility

ADC crisis deepens as Lukman suspends membership, accuses El-Rufai of hostility

A fresh crisis has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections after former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, announced the suspension of his membership of the party, citing what he described as persistent hostility and marginalisation by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Lukman disclosed his decision in a letter addressed to ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, saying he could no longer remain in a political environment where he felt isolated despite his efforts to build a formidable opposition platform.

According to him, his vision of helping transform the ADC into a strong democratic party capable of challenging for power in the 2027 elections has gradually faded because some coalition leaders are allegedly repeating the same political practices that weakened their former parties.

“I will spend some time reflecting and deciding what I want to do with my life. My expectation that we will build the ADC into a strong Democratic Party has been diminished,” Lukman stated.

He lamented that despite spending more than a year working to unite opposition leaders in Kaduna State, he had consistently been treated as the problem by El-Rufai and his political associates.

“I have spent more than a year trying to unite leaders in Kaduna. For Mallam Nasir and his people, I am the problem. I have decided to resolve the problem for them and everyone. I have suspended my membership of the party and the coalition because of the reasons above,” he said.

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Lukman argued that the opposition coalition was gradually losing sight of its original objective of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, alleging that personal interests had begun to overshadow the broader goal of building a credible alternative political platform.

According to him, some coalition leaders appear more interested in imposing their preferences than fostering internal democracy, warning that such actions could reduce the ADC to a marginal force in the 2027 elections.

The former APC chieftain also criticised former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of engaging with individuals in Kaduna whom he described as having questionable commitment to the party while ignoring those who had worked to strengthen the coalition.

“Already, I can see that HE Amaechi is in overdrive mode and is reaching out to people from Kaduna with questionable commitment. Whatever he wants to do with them is certainly not about building the party into a strong Democratic Party, which is why the views of those of us from Kaduna don’t matter,” Lukman stated.

Despite suspending his membership, Lukman stressed that his decision was not directed at the national leadership of the ADC.

He praised Senator David Mark and other national leaders for their commitment to the coalition, insisting that his grievance was specifically with what he described as the disdainful treatment he had received from El-Rufai and some coalition leaders in Kaduna.

“But it has everything to do with the disdainful treatment being meted out to me by some few coalition leaders, especially Mallam Nasir and his supporters in Kaduna. I am sorry, I just can’t continue,” he added.

Lukman, who previously served as Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), resigned from the APC in 2024 after criticising the ruling party’s internal democracy before joining the ADC-led coalition, where he became one of the prominent figures advocating for a united opposition ahead of the next general election.

His decision to suspend his membership is expected to intensify concerns over unity within the opposition coalition, which has in recent months attracted several high-profile politicians seeking to build a stronger platform to challenge the ruling APC in 2027.

Political observers say the development could complicate ongoing efforts to strengthen the coalition, particularly in key states such as Kaduna, where internal disagreements have continued to generate tensions among leading opposition figures.

As of the time of filing this report, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Senator David Mark, and the ADC National Working Committee had not publicly responded to Lukman’s allegations.

The latest development comes at a critical time for the opposition coalition as consultations and realignments continue ahead of the build-up to the 2027 presidential election, with party leaders under increasing pressure to maintain unity and resolve internal disputes.

ADC crisis deepens as Lukman suspends membership, accuses El-Rufai of hostility