•Tinubu, ADC logo and Atiku
The only federal lawmaker elected under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Leke Abejide, has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against underestimating the new coalition taking control of the ADC, describing the group as a formidable political force.
Abejide, a staunch supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hinted at his likely defection to the APC, stating that the politicians behind the ADC takeover are no pushovers and could pose serious challenges to the ruling party, reports The Nation.
Speaking during a television interview, the Kogi lawmaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise acknowledged his awareness of the planned realignment within the ADC and the resignation of the party’s former national chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
He noted that the coalition members are within their rights to associate and join any party of their choice.
He said, “They can cause a headache for APC, and I advise that they are not taken for granted. They will have members in the National and State Assemblies, and possibly governors. But they cannot win the presidency.”
Abejide added that President Tinubu remains politically strategic and resilient, citing the obstacles he overcame—such as fuel scarcity and the naira redesign — during the last election.
“The Asiwaju, you see, is a master of the game… He won despite all odds. Now that he has control of the system, do you think he will lose? It’s unlikely. However, I am not saying they won’t make an impact—they will—but not enough to win the presidency,” he said.
He urged the APC to treat the coalition seriously and to accelerate ongoing reforms, including addressing outstanding payments to contractors working for the Nigerian people.
“The number of states APC controls now is much more than any party in Nigeria. ADC have no governor, no senator except those who might decamp soon. These people will be working hard not to fail because if they fail, they will face the Consequences. The President, the leaders of the APC and all those supporting the president should not go to sleep.
Those People you saw are no lightweight politicians. Except for the fact that they cannot agree because most of them want to be president. So, the issue of candidacy will be the problem.
“People have said Obi will not like to play the second fiddle, and so would want to contest the presidency, and that might be a problem. Once this coalition collapses, that is the end. The coalition is a blessing in disguise for the APC.
“The PDP governors are working to put the party together, and this is another party coming up strong, and what happened in 2023 might likely happen in 2027 because the opposition will be fragmented. I want this coalition to continue while the PDP puts their House in order so that this election will be smooth”.
“I have said it before that the ADC will soon become the second largest party in Nigeria because it will consume the PDP. But the party cannot win the election because it is about the person and not the party. If APC had fielded another for the election in 2023, they would have lost the election.”
He said, “I am the only elected lawmaker at the federal level and at the state Assembly, I am a member. I am the National Leader of the party, and in 2023, I brought another lawmaker to the federal level.
“I don’t think Dumebi himself is a member of this party. He joined us in 2023, and I came to know him when they came back from a convention where they were elected as the presidential candidate, and the former national chairman brought him to my house. I told him then that ‘I cannot deceive you. I am for Asiwaju, and I cannot support you. I will support Asiwaju’
“That was the first time I knew him as a party member. I have been at this party since 2018, and I am the face of ADC in Nigeria. If you speak of ADC, it is only existing in Kogi State.
“Like the president said, there is freedom of Association. I can decide to go to APC tomorrow, and nobody can stop me. It is their right to come to ADC, and for the national chairman who resigned, it is his right. He can resign and go anywhere. But for me, that coalition is not going to end anywhere.
“People we never expected to come to APC are now coming to APC. So, don’t be surprised if I decide to move. I may decide tomorrow to move because those coming in have never played real politics, and I don’t think we have anything in common.
“Those we have things in common are in APC. The President, chief of staff to the President, Hon Faleke, are my people, my leaders. You see Dumebi fighting. What is he fighting for when you cannot stop anybody from associating? Let me tell you something. I am the financier of the party.
“This same Dumebi did a lot of things against me when I was contesting the governorship of my state. He gathered people not known in the party to stop me from getting the ticket, and for the National chairman to be removed. I told them, this man founded this party and we met him there. We negotiated with him to take the party to the states, and so, you cannot drive him out.
“He gathered some people and went to court to say they did not hold a convention. The matter has been in the Supreme Court, and they just withdrew the case from the Supreme Court”.
On whether he was carried along in the affairs leading to the takeover of the party, he said
“Ralph Nwosu tried to speak with me and there I nothing they did not do to get me to attend their meeting. But I did not because I don’t believe in it. Why should I put my head into something that I know is not going to work?
“But all of us in ADC are not on board with the coalition. I am not on board, even as the face of ADC. Many of the state chairmen are ready to move to the APC, and you will see this in the next few days.
“The Chief of Staff to the President and Hon. Faleke are my direct leaders. So, you should know where I belong already. Even in the 2023elections, Ralph Nwosu supported the Labour Party, while my supporters and I, including the National Secretary, supported Asiwaju. We have always had a simple understanding and never fought over anything. He knows my intentions, and that is why he does not disturb me, and I don’t disturb him.
“In fairness to them, they carried me along in all their discussions, but I told them I don’t want to be part of it. I was aware of all the plans since last year. Everybody has their plan, and mine will be clearer in the next two weeks.
In Nigeria, all the parties are the same, but the programmes are different. It is not about the panties, but the individuals. The logo of the ADC is easy to identify on the ballot paper.
