There are indications that the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is likely to emerge late in the month of May through the use of the consensus option.

Leaders of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Nigerian Tribune on Monday that media reports which indicated that there is a breakdown in communication in the determination of the presidential candidate of the party are false, as they added that the formal process aimed at determining the candidate has not begun.

“What we agreed on is that we will not allow the issue of presidential standard-bearer to divide the coalition. That is what our opponents believe would happen, but we are certain to beat them to the game. The United Opposition Movement will work tirelessly to midwife a consensus arrangement because it is the cheaper option. It is only when a consensus is difficult to attain that we will go to the second option, which is the direct primary option,” a source stated.

Another source in the know within the party said that the party leaders have not started discussing the matter because of the ongoing suit at the apex court.

He said: “The story of a decision over the issue of a consensus candidate is APC propaganda. No one has even started discussing the matter. Everyone is waiting for the Supreme Court decision. Obviously, in any party that does not have a candidate, people would have opinions, and that is what democracy is all about. Calling that a division is not right.”

The source further stated that the party would guard its loins tightly, knowing that the prying eyes of the ruling party are on the opposition coalition, with a view to destabilising it.

Further investigations, however, confirmed that the process by which the presidential candidate would emerge has already been mapped out.

“First, the party would take a shot at the consensus option. It will look at all the available resource materials and the likely candidate who can best defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). There are issues of zoning, which the party has also downplayed. We are not sure yet at what stage that would come up. But we are so far assured of aspirants from the North and the South.”

The presidential hopefuls in the ADC include the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and the former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi. Obi and Amaechi come from the South-East and the South-South, respectively, while Atiku hails from Adamawa in the North-East, and Kwankwaso hails from Kano, in the North-Western part of the country.

Although the APC and the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have zoning arrangements which recognise power rotation between the North and the Southern divides of the country, something the ADC has yet to come clean about.

Meanwhile, the Grassroots Mobilisation Network (GMN), a support group of the ADC, has criticised the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over comments it claims suggest backing for individuals expelled from the party.

In a statement signed by Idris Bala Musa and issued on Monday in Abuja, the group accused Gbajabiamila of indicating support for Bala Nafiu and Honourable Leke Abejide in efforts to reclaim influence within the ADC.

GMN described the remarks as troubling and called on Nigerians to urge those in the presidency to safeguard democratic principles, warning against what it termed attempts to destabilise opposition parties.

According to the group, Gbajabiamila made the comments during a reception marking Abejide’s 20th wedding anniversary and his wife’s 50th birthday.

The ADC had, at its last national convention, ratified the expulsion of both Abejide and Nafiu over alleged anti-party activities.

GMN said the comments, if accurate, point to “a disturbing level of interference” in the affairs of an opposition party and warned of broader implications for Nigeria’s democratic system.

The group further alleged that such actions suggest a broader strategy aimed at suppressing opposition voices ahead of future elections.

GMN argued that any attempt to impose individuals on a political party violates constitutional provisions, citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association, as well as relevant sections of the Electoral Act governing party autonomy. (Nigerian Tribune, but headline reworked)