By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has firmly rejected the opposition coalition led by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, accusing its leaders of attempting to hijack the party for personal political gain.
Speaking at a gathering on Friday, ADC youth spokesman Musa Matara described the coalition as a ploy by “old politicians who ruined Nigeria” to force their way back into power.
Matara’s remarks followed the announcement on Wednesday that the ADC had been adopted as the platform for a new opposition alliance, involving Atiku, former Senate President David Mark, ex-Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and others, with the aim of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
During that meeting, a faction led by Raph Nwosu handed over control of the party structure to the coalition, naming Mark as interim chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.
But the youth wing dismissed the move as illegitimate, insisting that the ADC’s authentic leadership structure remains intact. “These people have no ideology and no legitimacy within the party,” Matara said. “We won’t accept imposition.”
He challenged claims that the party’s executives had resigned and questioned the legality of the appointments announced. “Who appointed these interim leaders? Was it the NEC or NWC?” he asked, adding, “We’re still in ADC, and there’s no other party for us.”
Matara vowed that the youth wing would resist any attempt to surrender the party to “retired political actors” masquerading as reformers.
