The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of undermining Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, describing the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council as an attempt to impose one-party rule.
The ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegation on Wednesday while reacting to the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja.
The controversy follows the APC’s decision to include prominent politicians who are not members of the ruling party in its expanded campaign structure, including Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory; Ademola Adeleke, Osun State governor and member of the Accord Party; and Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State governor and member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The three politicians were named coordinators of President Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, Osun State, and Anambra State, respectively, a move that has drawn attention to the growing role of cross-party alliances in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.
However, Ologbondiyan argued that the arrangement raised concerns about the independence of opposition parties and the future of political competition in the country.
“What we are witnessing is not politics but political abduction. You cannot claim to be a democrat while using state power to force opposition governors into your party and then drafting them into your campaign council. This is political banditry,” he said.
He alleged that the APC was pursuing a political agenda aimed at concentrating power in the hands of one individual, while accusing the government of using national institutions, security agencies and the judiciary to weaken opposition forces.
The ADC-PCC spokesman also faulted the administration over the economic hardship, hunger and insecurity confronting Nigerians, arguing that political leaders were more concerned about retaining power than addressing the difficulties faced by citizens.
“These particular sets of leaders don’t care about the current conditions of the people but how best to remain in power at a time when average Nigerians find it difficult to eat and be secure,” he said.
Ologbondiyan called on Nigerians to resist what he described as an emerging political order that places the interests of those in power above public welfare.
He further alleged that the country’s democratic space was facing increasing pressure, citing what he described as the suppression of dissenting voices, harassment of opposition figures and the weakening of democratic institutions for partisan interests.
“Never in our democratic journey have we witnessed this level of intolerance and desperation. The APC government has weaponised poverty, hunger and insecurity to subjugate Nigerians and cripple the opposition. This is not the democracy for which Chief M.K.O. Abiola and other martyrs paid the supreme price,” he stated.
The ADC-PCC spokesman also promoted the presidential ticket of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, presenting them as leaders capable of restoring public confidence in democratic institutions and addressing the country’s challenges.
He described Atiku as a committed democrat with the national reach and political experience to unite the country and strengthen democratic governance.
“Atiku Abubakar is a democrat to the core. He has the national spread, the capacity and the will to reunite Nigeria and restore our battered democracy, which the APC has destroyed,” Ologbondiyan said.
“The fate of Nigeria’s democracy rests on him to save it from total collapse,” he added.
The ADC-PCC urged Nigerians, media organisations, civil society groups and the international community to oppose what it described as the APC’s anti-democratic agenda and support efforts to protect the country’s multiparty system.
The allegations add to the political contest ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties seek to consolidate support and build alliances beyond their traditional memberships. While the APC’s expanded campaign council reflects an effort to bring politicians from different party backgrounds into Tinubu’s re-election campaign, the ADC has framed the arrangement as a threat to opposition independence.
The competing positions underscore a broader debate over whether cross-party alliances strengthen electoral cooperation or raise concerns about the balance of power and the ability of opposition parties to compete effectively.