The African Democratic Congress (ADC) told Nigerians on Tuesday that talks about “zoning” — which is deciding where a presidential candidate should come from — are not its main worry right now.
The party said it wants to spend time building a strong opposition that can challenge the ruling party in 2027.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s national publicity secretary, told the media that the party wants to show voters “what we will do differently.”
He said, “Nigerians are still waiting for us to show what we will do differently. Zoning or no zoning is not our focus at the moment.”
He added that when the party is ready to talk about zoning, it will make a decision then.
The message followed public questions from Peter Obi, the Labour Party figure, who said the ADC coalition looks shaky because key issues like zoning were not settled.
Obi said the group must clear up its agreements if it wants to work well together.
Political rivals were quick to react. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) mocked the ADC, saying the row shows disunity in the opposition and calling the debate “confusion on steroids.”
The ADC has drawn high-profile politicians since July, which raised hopes it could unite many opposition voices. But analysts say the coalition must fix internal fights, agree on rules for sharing power, and pick clear leaders if it wants to be a serious challenge in 2027.
