As Nigeria’s opposition prepares for the 2027 general elections, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to sabotage the emerging opposition coalition through targeted infiltration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a revealing interview with Radio France International’s Hausa Service, El-Rufai warned that the APC was actively attempting to destabilize the ADC, which has recently become the central platform for a coalition of opposition forces, including disgruntled elements from the PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP.
“APC has a track record of infiltration,” El-Rufai stated. “We are fully aware of their game plan. That’s why we have a backup strategy—if they disrupt ADC, we will switch to a new political party.”
According to El-Rufai, the APC is deploying a dual strategy: enticing opposition figures with appointments and financial inducements, while using anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC, ICPC, and the Code of Conduct Bureau to intimidate those who resist.
He alleged that efforts are already underway to provoke internal strife within the ADC by using former party loyalists to publicly challenge the coalition’s legitimacy, thereby weakening the party from within.
“They’ll use familiar faces from ADC’s past to discredit the alliance. It’s a calculated move to sow division and make the party unworkable,” El-Rufai said.
Despite the recent public unveiling of the ADC as the opposition’s new electoral vehicle, El-Rufai’s remarks underscore a deep-rooted concern within the coalition that any party structure can be compromised under Nigeria’s current political climate.
He further accused the APC of engineering similar crises in other opposition parties to fragment their strength ahead of 2027.
“What we’re witnessing is not the behavior of a party that respects democratic competition. This is political sabotage orchestrated from the top,” he charged.
The revelations add a new layer of complexity to the opposition’s coalition-building efforts and raise questions about how resilient the alliance can be under sustained external pressure.