ADC accuses APC of sabotaging opposition

By Ariyo Zainab

Fresh political tensions are mounting ahead of the 2027 general elections as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating internal crises within opposition parties to weaken democratic competition.

The allegation was voiced by the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle. Abdullahi described a “suspicious” pattern of destabilization targeting opposition platforms, specifically citing recent leadership friction within the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

According to Abdullahi, shortly after the PRP’s National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, visited ADC officials to discuss potential synergy, a faction emerged within the PRP to challenge its leadership, a development the ADC claims bears the hallmarks of external interference.

“A political strategy anchored on sabotaging every opposition platform is ultimately self-destructive,” Abdullahi warned, suggesting that the ruling party is attempting to engineer a “one-party state” by proxy.

The accusations from the ADC represent a mechanical shift in Nigeria’s political theater: the transition from “External Rivalry” to “Internal Subversion.” In the lead-up to 2027, the primary mechanical hurdle for the opposition is the Coalition Framework.

If opposition parties like the ADC and PRP successfully unify, they create a formidable electoral block.

Consequently, political analysts note that the “Factionalization” of these parties serves a strategic purpose: it consumes the opposition’s energy in litigation and internal disputes rather than in campaigning or policy development.

While the APC has historically dismissed such claims as the result of “poor internal party management,” the timing of these disputes, often occurring immediately after coalition talks, raises the stakes of the “Sabotage Narrative.”

For the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi’s public outcry is a defensive maneuver to pre-empt similar factionalism within his own party.

The broader implication is a potential crisis of Democratic Pluralism; if the public perceives that opposition parties are being systematically dismantled from within, the mechanical trust in the electoral process could erode long before the first ballot is cast in 2027.