ADC: A Party Hijacked for Hijacked Reasons

Yes, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a party that once existed quietly on the fringes of Nigeria’s political theatre, has suddenly found itself at the centre of a dramatic and highly ambitious political experiment. Formed in 2005, the ADC was never a political powerhouse, not by electoral performance, not by elite attention. Perhaps its biggest claim to relevance came in 2019, when it fielded Obadiah Mailafia and managed to clinch a distant fourth place in the presidential race.

In Oyo State, the ADC has occasionally shown sparks of relevance during election seasons. We’ve seen figures like former Governor Rasheed Ladoja and former Senator Olufemi Lanlehin lead the party into electoral contests. However, like many third-force parties in Nigeria, it typically collapses back into obscurity once elections are over. Even at its most visible, the party remained a fringe actor — quietly engaging its niche loyalists and mostly ignored by the major political gladiators chasing power through the traditional two-party behemoths: the APC and the PDP.

Now, in 2025, the ADC finds itself hijacked. And this wasn’t a takeover by visionaries hoping to revamp its ideology, or young radicals bearing fresh ideas. Instead, it has been seized by a coalition of old political warlords, disillusioned godfathers, serial defectors, and ambition-heavy statesmen,  all supposedly desperate to “save” Nigeria from Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s underwhelming presidency. But how does a political party suddenly become an escape hatch for those fleeing the consequences of the very systems they helped create and eventually ruin?

For nearly two decades, the ADC floated as a modest and idealistic platform. It consistently preached decentralised democracy and inclusive governance. Its original custodians, those who built the party brick by brick likely never imagined it would one day become a convenient vessel for power-hungry elites in search of a shortcut back into political relevance.

However, the conditions were ripe. As Tinubu’s administration continues to stumble through economic instability, inflation, and deepening insecurity, and as the PDP spirals further into betrayal and national irrelevance, many of these political heavyweights began scrambling for a new roof over their heads. And rather than build a fresh structure, the way Tinubu once did with the APC in 2013, they found it easier to hijack an existing one. The ADC, with its INEC registration, established logo, and legal standing, was a tempting, ready-made shell.

So the question becomes: Why ADC? And why now? The answer is simple. Time and desperation. The truth is that building a viable political party in Nigeria is no easy task. It is hard, expensive, and painfully slow. Tinubu’s APC didn’t emerge overnight. It was the product of years of negotiation, loose ideological alignment, and calculated sacrifices. It brought together strange bedfellows, constructed structures in all 36 states, and was legitimised by the presence of powerful governors and lawmakers. But what we are now witnessing with ADC is different. This is not coalition-building. It is a political hijack, both of a party and the democratic process itself.

Unsurprisingly, most of the faces now parading under the ADC platform are familiar, and not in a flattering way. Atiku Abubakar has run for president under nearly every party available: PDP, ACN, APC, and back to PDP. Rotimi Amaechi helped birth the APC, served under Buhari, and is now hunting for another shot at relevance. Peter Obi, the 2023 darling of new-generation voters, defected from the PDP to Labour Party and now appears to be eyeing ADC. Rauf Aregbesola and Nasir El-Rufaix once Tinubu’s men, now reportedly unrewarded, have also found cover under the ADC umbrella. And former Senate President David Mark, after spending eight years at the height of legislative power, has also quietly joined the mix.

What unites these men, clearly, is not ideology. It isn’t youth. It isn’t reform. And it certainly isn’t the Nigerian people. What binds them together is something far less noble: ambition. A shared and stubborn determination to remain relevant. And, hopefully, clinch the 2027 presidential ticket. That’s all there is to it.

Naturally, the original ADC loyalists are not taking this quietly. Dumebi Kachikwu, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, was quick to remind the new arrivals that ADC is “a party of decent and well-behaved people,” one that “not only opposes but proposes.” However, that hasn’t stopped the coalition from pushing forward. They have parachuted into an existing structure, displaced long-serving executives, and brushed aside the founding ethos of the party.

Unlike the APC, which was meticulously built from the ground up, this current version of ADC lacks the fundamentals. There is no discipline. There is no internal cohesion. There is no state-level machinery. What exists instead is a party of famous names and shallow roots. A party of presidential hopefuls with no local councillors. An elite gathering with no mass mobilisation behind it.

When you contrast their interests with Nigeria’s interests, the gap is glaring. Let’s be honest: this isn’t about rescuing Nigeria. This is about rescuing their careers. Tinubu’s APC has successfully cannibalised the PDP, subdued internal dissent, and weaponised political patronage. For many in this ADC coalition, the only alternatives were retirement or irrelevance. They’ve chosen reinvention. But not for the sake of rebuilding Nigeria — rather, to reclaim lost clout and power.

This leads us to ask: how can a party dominated by men carrying political baggage and oversized egos claim to be Nigeria’s salvation? Where are the young leaders? Where is the blueprint for economic reform? Where is the ideological soul?

If this version of ADC somehow survives until 2027, what Nigerians should expect is not transformation, but chaos. There will likely be a crowded and contested presidential primary. There will be infighting. And there is a strong chance the party will implode before the ballots are printed. These actors are not known for compromise or selflessness.

Remember that the APC in 2015 succeeded because most of its key players, particularly the governors, aligned behind one candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. But this current ADC coalition? It’s a battlefield. Every major player wants to be the flagbearer. No one is willing to step aside.

Even more likely is the possibility that this party won’t make it to 2027 at all. The signs are already there. It has no sitting governors. No ideological coherence. No shared direction. And far too many heavyweight egos competing for a single prize. This is not a political party. It is a waiting room for the politically homeless.

And truth be told, some of us can never be deceived. Nigerians deserve their leaders. The fact that this group believes it can re-emerge and capture power again, despite its history, says more about the electorate than about the politicians themselves. Many Nigerians are still trapped in a cycle of choosing between recycled figures in fresh clothes. But not everyone. Some of us are watching, thinking, connecting the dots, and refusing to be deceived.

If there’s anything to learn from Tinubu’s creation of the APC, it’s that a real political movement must start with a clear sense of purpose. It must have structure, ideology, youth inclusion, and grassroots networks. It must produce a candidate that generates belief, not just flaunts credentials. A real party cannot be a resting place for displaced elites. It must be a home for visionary citizens.

Look at Omoyele Sowore. If he truly wants a serious shot at leadership, then he must do the real work. He must build alliances. Win councillorships. Dominate in state assemblies. Create a bottom-up movement. He cannot keep running for president every four years based only on vibes and protest energy. And as for someone like Nyesom Wike, he must now decide, is he here to disrupt, or to build?

Nigeria is clearly heading toward a political crossroad. Tinubu’s presidency is uninspiring. The PDP is broken. Labour Party is struggling to translate momentum into power. And so the question is not whether there will be a realignment. The question is who will lead it, and how it will be built.

For now, the future belongs to those who put people before personality. To those who build patiently, from the ground up, and who stay true to values, not just slogans. Whether that platform is ADC, Labour, or something entirely new, only time, structure, and sincerity will tell.

But this current ADC? It is a party hijacked for hijacked reasons. And if things continue this way, with a lifeless PDP, a hijacked ADC, and a struggling LP, then 2027 is already written for Tinubu. Let’s see how it goes.

Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun