A faction of the African Democratic Congress has firmly denied entering into any political alliance with former President Goodluck Jonathan, ex–Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi or New Nigeria Peoples Party leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general election.

The group, led by its National Chairman, Nafiu Gombe, described recent reports suggesting that the party was in talks with the prominent opposition figures as “false, misleading and mischievous,” insisting that it remains the authentic national leadership of the ADC and is not negotiating away its platform.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Gombe urged party members and the wider public to disregard what he called “unfounded rumours” about high-level political alignments allegedly being brokered behind closed doors.

“The party strongly appeals to its members and the general public to disregard the unfounded rumours circulating about political alignments involving individuals such as Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Goodluck Jonathan,” he said, stressing that no such pact had been discussed, let alone concluded.

Gombe framed the speculation as part of a broader attempt to distract the ADC from its internal rebuilding process and to portray it as a mere bargaining chip in the jostling among established political heavyweights.

According to him, the faction’s priority is to consolidate the ADC as an independent, ideologically driven party with its own structures, candidates and programmes, rather than as a temporary vehicle for politicians seeking alternative platforms.

“The ADC’s focus remains on building a strong, independent party guided strictly by its constitution and internal democratic processes,” he added, warning that the party would not mortgage its identity for short-term political gain.

The factional chairman also used the statement to restate the rules governing participation in the party’s internal contests, saying that only members who are properly registered and financially up to date will be allowed to vote or be voted for in congresses and primaries.

“In accordance with the party’s constitution, only fully registered and financially up-to-date members are eligible to vote or be voted for in all party elections and congresses,” he said, in what appeared to be a message to external aspirants eyeing the party’s presidential ticket.

Gombe announced that the faction had completed the inauguration of Zonal Congress Committees in three geopolitical zones, presenting the move as evidence of its commitment to due process and internal democracy, and as a rebuttal to claims that the ADC was being hijacked through secret deals.

According to a communiqué issued at the end of the zonal exercises and signed by him, the South-West Zonal Congress Committee was inaugurated in Ekiti State, with Bala Sani appointed chairman of the Congress Committee and Hon. Kyauta Yakubu named chairman of the Appeal Committee.

In the South-East, the Zonal Congress Committee was inaugurated in Enugu State. Adamu Ado Dauda was named chairman of the Congress Committee, while Mrs Iyabo Alibi was appointed chairman of the Appeal Committee.

Similarly, the North-Central Zonal Congress Committee was inaugurated with Lolo Ehirudu as chairman of the Congress Committee and Hon. Sa’ad Aboki as chairman of the Appeal Committee.

Gombe said the zonal inaugurations underscored the faction’s insistence on transparency, rule-based decision-making and party unity, even as rival tendencies within the ADC continue to contest control of the national structure.

The statement comes against the backdrop of intensifying manoeuvres within the opposition camp as the 2027 race looms larger on the political horizon. Within the ADC, the battle for the presidential ticket has sharpened disagreements over leadership legitimacy, consensus arrangements and zoning, with different blocs pushing competing visions of how the party should position itself.

Atiku Abubakar has publicly declared that he will not withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest, dismissing calls for him to step aside as undemocratic. In a statement titled “Nigeria’s Democracy Under Siege: Opposition Faces Existential Threat,” signed by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku accused the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress of meddling in the internal affairs of opposition parties, including the ADC, particularly in the selection of presidential candidates.

Beyond Atiku, Peter Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who contested the APC presidential primaries in 2022, have also been linked with interest in the ADC presidential ticket. Their names have featured prominently in conversations about a possible realignment of opposition forces, fuelling speculation that the ADC could become a rallying point for a broad anti-APC coalition.

It is this swirl of speculation that the Gombe-led faction is now seeking to puncture. By insisting that no pact exists with Jonathan, Atiku, Obi or Kwankwaso, and by foregrounding its zonal congresses and internal rules, the faction is attempting to project an image of a party determined to chart its own course rather than serve as a fallback option for displaced political heavyweights.

However, the denial also highlights the deepening fault lines within the opposition space, where questions of platform, leadership and strategy remain unresolved. As the 2027 election cycle gathers momentum, the ADC’s internal battles and its stance on alliances with major figures like Atiku and Obi are likely to remain central to the evolving narrative of Nigeria’s opposition politics.