Former presidential candidate and prominent coalition figure, Peter Obi, has called for bridge-building and unity among the coalition to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Speaking on Thursday following the coalition’s decision to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform to contest the 2027 elections, Obi emphasized the importance of unity, sacrifice, and bridge-building to defeat the APC, which has held power since 2015.
“Yesterday, the coalition members formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Nigeria General Elections, with Distinguished Senator David Mark serving as the National Chairman and H.E. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola serving as the National Secretary,” Obi said.
He described the decision as the product of deep reflection on Nigeria’s current state and the urgent need for a new direction.
“This decision was not made lightly. It comes from deep reflection on where we are as a country and what must be done to move forward,” Obi stated.
The former Anambra governor, who has been tipped to emerge as the candidate stressed that, “Our commitment is to sacrifice and work together towards the 2027 General Elections, ensuring that Nigeria gets a competent, capable, and compassionate leadership—one that prioritises the nation’s future by putting the welfare of Nigerians first.”
The coalition’s choice of the ADC signals a strategic move to consolidate political energy and mobilize a united front against what Obi called the “structures that keep our people in poverty and insecurity”.
“No one group can change Nigeria alone,” he stressed. “To dismantle these entrenched structures, we must build bridges, not walls—even when those bridges are uneasy.”
Since coming to power in 2015, the APC-led government has faced growing criticism over rising inflation, insecurity, youth unemployment, and a deteriorating healthcare system.
The 2023 general elections, while hotly contested, left many Nigerians disillusioned with the electoral process and the resulting leadership.
Obi’s message taps into this national mood of frustration and yearning for transformation.
“It is no longer about just winning elections. It is about saving Nigeria from the brink,” he said. “Leadership must be about service, not self-preservation.”
He added, “A new Nigeria is possible. But it will not be handed to us. We must earn it—through sacrifice, through unity, and by building the bridges that connect us as one people with a common destiny.”
