Hot SourceJohn Shiklam in Kaduna
Stakeholders of the coalition of opposition parties in Kaduna state have commenced consultations with the state leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to strategise towards defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Kaduna on behalf of the coalition, Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the APC- North West zone, said the coalition is initiating the process of building a truly strong democratic party that will unite the people of Kaduna state.
He said members of the coalition drawn from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP) met with the Kaduna State leaders of the African Democratic Party (ADC) led by Ahmed Tijjani Mustapha.
Flanked by other members of the coalition briefing, Lukman said the press conference had the blessing of top opposition figures, including Sen. Nenadi Usman, Sen. Datti Baba Ahmed, Dr. John Ayuba, Sen. Musa Bello, and Alhaji Shuaibu Idris Mikati, who all appended their signatures to the statement.
He said: “With the national leadership of the coalition unveiling the ADC as the political party platform for 2027 elections on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 in Abuja, being stakeholders and opposition political leaders in Kaduna State who are committed to the principles and objective of rescuing Nigerian democracy, we commenced consultations among ourselves and with the State leadership of the ADC in order to initiate the process of building a truly strong democratic party that will prioritise the need to reform politics in the state with the goal of uniting the people of Kaduna state.”
He said the coalition and ADC in Kaduna state are determined to mobilise citizens across the state to “respect one another based on recognition of our differences through accommodation and tolerance.”
According to Lukman, since unveiling the ADC as the political party platform for the coalition for 2027 elections, negotiations are ongoing at national level to conclude the nomination of members of the National Interim leadership of ADC.
“This is expected to be concluded very soon. Immediately it is concluded, the national leadership is expected to issue guidelines for the reorganisation of structures of the party at all levels.
“While awaiting the guidelines, we have begun to formalise engagements and agree on how we want to continue with the task of domesticating the Coalition and developing the structures of the new party across all the 23 Local Governments and 255 Wards in the state.
“We are doing that to avoid past experiences whereby such a crucial task is reduced to hegemony contests among individuals with ambitions to contest elections at different levels.
“Once that is the case, we will end up with another business-as-usual project that will produce a weak party whose leadership at all levels will only be surrogates and errand boys and girls of aspiring candidates, in which case, at best, it will be another deceptive project with the only ambition of winning elections without the required commitment to address challenges facing citizens.”
Lukman warned that “On no account should anyone use the fraudulent practice of imposing a so-called consensus to trample on internal democracy within the Coalition and ADC.”
He said the new orientation will require that meetings hold and members are allowed to freely express themselves, including the right to disagreeing with political leaders and offering better alternatives.
