Headlines
2027: ADC Leaders Plan Massive Coalition Against APC, Tinubu
- /home/rhoncare/pointblank.ng/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://pointblank.ng/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ADC-LOGO-BIG-1000x600.webp&description=2027: ADC Leaders Plan Massive Coalition Against APC, Tinubu', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/rhoncare/pointblank.ng/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 69
https://pointblank.ng/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ADC-LOGO-BIG-1000x600.webp&description=2027: ADC Leaders Plan Massive Coalition Against APC, Tinubu', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
There are indications that the ongoing dispute in the leadership of African Democratic Congress (ADC) may lead to the formation of a 10-party coalition, far bigger than what was initially envisaged, reports quoting sources close to the opposition have said.
The Senator David Mark-led leadership of the ADC was removed from the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on account of what the election umpire said was its interpretation of the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which directed it to maintain status quo ante bellum in a suit involving the Mark-led executive and Nasiru Bala Gombe, a claimant to the national chairmanship seat of the party.
While Senator Mark-led team has argued that the said Bala Gombe lacks the locus standi to institute the suit or lay claim to the party’s chairmanship seat, having resigned his position in May 2025, INEC insisted it would no longer recognise either of the parties in the ADC.
Following the imbroglio, a source, however, said that those pushing the ADC might end up leading it to a bigger coalition, as the development has opened the eyes of many opposition leaders to the possibility of a broader coalition.
Last week, leaders of the ADC engaged a group of leaders from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), while it also engaged with leaders of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), aside from what was called ongoing cross-party discussions with the newly formed National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“What we are seeing is that the loss of ADC on one hand could be the gain of the opposition in this country. What those fighting the ADC don’t know is that you cannot keep the people silent when they are determined to exercise their rights of association. The ADC will be on the ballot in 2027 with a coalition bigger than earlier envisaged,” a source in the know stated.
The source stated that already, the ADC coalition looks good to benefit from the travails of the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP, as well as the resolve of members of other parties whose leaders believe they can benefit from a broad-based coalition in 2027.
It has earlier been reported that the attempt by the leaders of the ADC to rally a strong party behind the possible choice of former President Goodluck Jonathan or in the alternative, a Peter Obi/Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket, is upsetting the ruling party, whose strategists were said to have activated cells of internal opposition within the emerging coalition.
A leader of the ADC, however, said that those pursuing the coalition party are surely pushing it into better things. The way things are going, we may end up with at least a 10-party coalition. That would be bigger than what we initially set out to do,” the source stated, adding that such a development would amount to a masterstroke against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which he said had chosen to interpret the court ruling awkwardly.
By Eric Elezuo
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has won state’s governorship election. The result was announced by the Returning Officer of the Osun State governorship election, Prof Joshua Olalekan Ogunwale.
The governor polled a total of 511, 067 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who score 444, 815 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salaam Najid (Iwaloye), came a distant third with 17, 180 votes
Adeleke took an early lead as results uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed him establishing a commanding lead over his closest challenger, and sustained the lead till the final counting
As at 2.06 a.m. on Sunday, INEC had uploaded results from 3,612 polling units, representing 95.99 per cent of the 3,763 polling units in the state, to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
With results from only 151 polling units yet to be uploaded, Adeleke, candidate of the Accord Party, had polled 509,057 votes, representing 51.7 per cent of the votes available on IReV.
The emerging outcome came despite a formidable APC campaign effort that drew about 10 governors and leading figures of the ruling party to Osun to canvass support for Oyebamiji.
Eecall that the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas were among senior APC figures who stormed Osun, and campaigned for the party’s candidate.
Governors who joined the campaign included Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Usman Ododo of Kogi State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was represented by his deputy, Monday Onyeme.
By this victory, Adeleke is expected to pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years, till 2031.
Headlines
Atiku Drags Tinubu to Court over Certificate Forgery, Eligibility to Contest 2027 Election
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit in support of the suit.
The suit was instituted by Atiku and the ADC against President Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It is anchored on Sections 137(1)(j), 139(1)(a)(i), and 285(14)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as well as provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
At the heart of the case is Section 137(1)(j), which disqualifies anyone who presents a forged certificate to INEC from contesting for President.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether Tinubu and the APC should be disqualified from the 2027 election over allegations that the President submitted an NYSC discharge certificate bearing the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” to INEC for both the 2023 and 2027 elections.
According to Atiku’s affidavit, the name on the certificate is different from “Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” and the document was not obtained by the President.
Speaking after taking the oath, Atiku said his personal appearance was to show seriousness.
“I came here personally because the issues before the court go to the heart of our Constitution and the integrity of the office of President… I have therefore put my name, my signature and my oath behind the facts we are presenting to the court. Now it is President Tinubu’s turn to answer them,” he said.
The suit also asks INEC to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 and 2027 elections.
Atiku said he had applied for certified true copies of the form but got no response before filing.
“This is precisely why we have gone to court. We are not asking Nigerians to decide this matter on social media… We are asking the institution holding the records to produce them and the judiciary to examine the evidence and pronounce on it,” Atiku stated.
“If the certificate belongs to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, let that be established before the court. If ‘Tinubu Bola Adekunle’ and ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ are one and the same person for the purpose of that certificate, let the evidence establish it.”
Beyond the certificate, the ADC and Atiku are also challenging aspects of the Electoral Act, 2026, which they argue restrict pre-election challenges to a candidate’s qualification. They contend that no law can override the Constitution.
“Can an Act of the National Assembly be used as a shield against an express provision of the Constitution?… Our position is that the Constitution remains supreme,” Atiku said.
Among the reliefs sought is an order disqualifying Tinubu and the APC from participating in the 2027 presidential election if the court upholds the plaintiffs’ case.
“Nobody should misunderstand what is at stake. Nigerian graduates cannot complete NYSC documentation with one identity and simply ask employers to ignore discrepancies… The Presidency is not an immunity certificate against constitutional scrutiny,” he added.
Atiku further urged INEC to demonstrate neutrality by making the relevant records available to the court.
“The 2027 election must begin with clarity about the qualification of those seeking the Presidency. Nigerians should not be asked to vote first and investigate later,” he said.
Lead counsel, Joseph Onu Silas, Esq., said the legal team was confident the case would help deepen Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.
“This is not about privilege, personalities or presidential power. It is about one Constitution and one standard for every Nigerian. Nobody is above the Constitution — not Atiku Abubakar, not Bola Tinubu, and certainly not the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Onu said.
Lawyer petitions EU over Tinubu’s qualification, cites ‘subversion of constitution’
Relatedly, a renowned Nigerian lawyer, Kalu Kalu Esq., has submitted a petition to the European Union in Brussels, alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu subverted constitutional order ahead of the 2027 general election.
His remark was shared on Facebook Friday by Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Kalu, who spoke at the European Commission headquarters, said the petition seeks the EU’s intervention to “help restore constitutional democracy in Nigeria.”
He accused President Tinubu of submitting false academic credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and failing to state the primary and secondary schools he attended.
“Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has suspended the constitutional order in Nigeria because of his false academic credentials, which he submitted to INEC for the 2027 general election and he did not state the primary school and the secondary school he attended,” Kalu said.
The lawyer cited Section 137(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that presenting a false certificate to INEC disqualifies a candidate.
“Section 1371J says if you have presented a false certificate to INEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, you will not be qualified to run election and he has submitted forged documents, forged certificates to INEC that made him not to be qualified to run for the 2027 general election,” he stated.
Kalu further alleged that because “they have captured all the power in Nigeria,” the President has “imposed himself on Nigeria, thereby subverting the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which is a mini-coup, a sub-coup against the people of Nigeria.”
He said the purpose of his visit to Brussels was to formally submit the petition to the EU and solicit support for the restoration of constitutional governance in Nigeria.
“Good afternoon all and good afternoon to the whole world. I am here at the European Commission to submit a petition to the European Union concerning the subversion of constitutional order in Nigeria… So, I’m here to submit the petition to the EU to help restore constitutional democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency and INEC have not responded to the allegations.
The European Union-Supported Election Observation Group has deployed 843 observers across Osun State for Saturday’s governorship election, as part of efforts to independently assess the conduct of the poll.
The group, comprising the Centre for Media, Society, the International Press Centre, the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, the Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa, disclosed this in its preliminary statement on the election on Friday in Osogbo, the state capital.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the observers would monitor, document and report on the electoral process in line with the principles of independence, impartiality and non-partisanship.
Itodo said; “the election was of significant national importance as it would provide another opportunity to assess the implementation of provisions of the electoral legal framework and offer INEC, security agencies, electoral stakeholders and the public further insight into preparations ahead of the 2027 general election.”
He said, “the group acknowledged INEC’s declared operational, technological and logistical readiness for the election, including the deployment of election materials and personnel.”
The EU group also noted that INEC had increased the number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices following technical challenges identified during the mock accreditation exercise, with additional devices provided as backup.
On result management, however, the group called for greater clarity on the electronic transmission and backend validation of polling unit results.
It urged INEC to make the result transmission process more transparent and verifiable, including providing clearer information on the backend validation process and the use of electronic result sheets.
The group also called on the Commission to ensure smooth electronic transmission of validated polling unit results and maintain adequate live backup of election data to prevent disruptions during accreditation and counting.
