The headline says it all. “Come back to ADC, it’s not too late.” Atiku’s aide to Obi, Kwankwaso after NDC’s deregistration.
Just imagine if Nigeria’s opposition actually behaved like opposition.
The math is brutal, and obvious, 2023 proved it. The anti-incumbent vote was large enough to make a contest, but it was split across LP, NNPP, PDP, and others. The incumbent didn’t need 50% love; it needed opposition division. With NDC now off INEC’s list, we’re watching the same script, new logos, same fragmentation. A “common enemy” only loses when you face it together.
“Come back to ADC” is a tactical rescue, not a strategy. Nigerians don’t vote for party colors. They vote for agents in 176,846 PUs, ward executives, audited finances, and a joint manifesto with numbers attached. Coalition without shared primaries, transparent candidate selection, and power-sharing terms is just a photo-op.
The cost of solo runs. Every new party means more court cases, more INEC compliance, more fundraising drama, and less grassroots work. Meanwhile, the ruling party organizes. By 2027, “we were in court” will again replace “here are our PU agents.”
Opposition should be formidable, not fashionable. If Obi, Kwankwaso, Atiku, and other forces can’t agree on one ballot vehicle with clear rules now, they will be trading excuses again after 2027.
Coalition is not weakness. Division is.
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