Ilorin, Kwara State — Former Interior Minister and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, says his party is poised to take power at the centre and win “most states” in the 2027 general elections, arguing that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is “hounding” the opposition because it knows it is unpopular.
Aregbesola spoke in Ilorin on Sunday after commissioning the ADC’s new state secretariat on Basin Road.
“If APC is confident of its strength, it wouldn’t be so hyped as to be hounding and hunting opposition all over the place,” he told reporters. “They themselves know that they are not popular and the party that will harvest their unpopularity is ADC. Regardless of the grandstanding, by the grace of God, ADC will take over the mantle of leadership in Nigeria and in most of the states.”
He alleged harassment of ADC members “nationwide,” naming Lagos, Kebbi and Kaduna, without giving specifics. He also dismissed governors defecting to the APC as “enemies of the people,” adding: “It’s good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Also speaking, former Kwara State governor Abdulfatah Ahmed—who recently left the PDP for the ADC—said the party is “prepared” for 2027.
“This is the beginning of a new direction in our political experience,” Ahmed said. “We are poised to take over leadership of the country in 2027.”
ADC National Publicity Secretary and former Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi took aim at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming it had become “politically irrelevant.”
The commissioning drew ADC chieftains and supporters as the party steps up state-level structures ahead of the polls. The ADC, founded in 2005, currently has limited representation at national and state levels but has lately intensified recruitment of high-profile defectors as part of a broader rebuilding push.
The APC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations of intimidation. The PDP has yet to react to Abdullahi’s remarks.
Nigeria heads to the polls in early 2027, with opposition parties jockeying to consolidate coalitions and structures in the face of economic headwinds, insecurity concerns and ongoing debates over electoral reforms.
