The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has proposed a power-sharing arrangement designed to keep Nigeria’s opposition united ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as concerns rise that competing ambitions could lead to divisions after the primaries.
The plan features a “collegiate system,” which the party says is intended to replace winner-takes-all politics with a structure where authority is shared among a team, even after a presidential candidate is selected.
Commenting on the development during an appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Monday, Lukman Salihu a prominent advocate of the party’s reform agenda explained that the framework is intended to encourage collective decision-making and avoid concentrating power in a single individual.
He said, “The new framework we are trying to put together is a collegiate framework. It is not a framework where one person will be the winner of everything.
“Our leaders are committed to ensure that if we produce the next government, it is not going to be like an emperor presiding over an empire… It will be a collegiate team spirit, whereby all decisions will be taken jointly.”
The move comes as competition intensifies within the opposition, with supporters of Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi advancing rival positions on who should lead the coalition.
Salihu said the friction should not be mistaken for division.
“What you are seeing is contestation, and when you have politics without contestation, then it is no longer politics,” he said.
According to him, the aim is to keep all aspirants invested in the process, regardless of who emerges.
“One person will emerge, but will emerge as part of a team, not someone who defeats others and pushes them out of the race,” Salihu said.
At the same time as proposing a power-sharing arrangement, the party stated that it has outlined its governance strategy, based on a manifesto it previously adopted at its last convention.
Salihu said, “The party set up a 50-member committee to work out its policies and manifesto. As we speak today, the manifesto has been adopted at the last convention.
“The manifesto is all about ensuring citizen-centred governance, whereby all the issues confronting Nigerians are addressed.”
He said legal disputes and internal challenges have delayed the public unveiling of the document but expressed confidence the process would be completed.
“Part of what we also want to do is to ensure that we put in place a process whereby the screening of candidates follows a particular framework that will ensure that the best and the most acceptable to the citizens emerge,” he said.
Salihu also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying it has drifted from its founding ideals.
He said, “To see where the APC is today is quite disappointing all the so-called consensus arrangements across the states have collapsed.
“Instead of parties regulating elected officials, elected officials now regulate parties.”
He said restoring party discipline and internal structures is central to the opposition’s plan.
“Having a collegiate system ensures that party organs work and regulate the conduct of elected representatives,” Salihu said.
On groups and individuals that stayed away from the coalition process, he said participation remains voluntary.
“It is entirely their choice not to be there, and we respect that,” he said.
Addressing concerns that some aspirants may refuse to step down or back a rival, Salihu said he does not expect key actors to walk away.
“I do not see him (Amaechi) walking away if someone else emerges victorious. He will remain part of the same collegiate system,” he said.
The ADC chieftain expressed confidence that, despite the tensions, the opposition will eventually unite behind a single candidate.
“We are ready to confront the situation as it is, and we believe the Nigerian people will make the right choice at the end,” he added.