Ralph Nwosu, the founding National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has thrown his full weight behind the newly formed opposition coalition led by former Senate President David Mark, declaring that the coalition is on a clear mission to take over the Presidential Villa in 2027.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the coalition at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, July 2, Nwosu announced that he and other executives had resigned their positions to allow Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola to lead the movement against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“We all decided to resign so that Mark can paddle this canoe and get us to the Villa,” Nwosu said, sparking loud applause from supporters at the event.
Nwosu, who led the ADC since its inception, said the coalition represents a bold response to what he described as Nigeria’s continuous decline under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He hailed Aregbesola a former Minister of Interior and once a close ally of Tinubu as a “man of unparalleled service record”, noting that his inclusion signals a strong break from the status quo.
“Nigeria has been in the ICU. Lives are being lost every day,” Nwosu declared emotionally.
“My job will not end until we sing the national anthem inside Aso Rock. That will be the real hope.”
He urged Nigerians to rally behind the new leadership team and resist political sabotage, warning detractors that anyone speaking against the coalition “is not an ADC member.”
“We shouldn’t be apologetic,” he said. “We need to be battle-ready. More challenges will come, but we will surmount them.”
The ADC-led coalition, now being positioned as the central opposition bloc, includes powerful political figures like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi, making it the most formidable threat to Tinubu’s re-election bid so far.
The coalition’s goal, according to insiders, is to present a unified presidential front that will end APC’s dominance and “restore Nigeria’s democratic integrity.”
