The African Democratic Congress is keeping its cards close on the 2027 presidential ticket no zoning decisions yet, and definitely no promises broken, according to the party’s mouthpiece Bolaji Abdullahi. The former sports minister laid it out plain on Sunday, pushing back hard against Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the head of the Obidient Movement, who accused the ADC of dodging commitments to zone the top spot south.
Tanko, speaking for Peter Obi’s supporters, lit a fuse over the weekend, saying the ADC’s silence on zoning is a red flag. “As the Obidient Movement, being part of the main consulting bloc, we are particularly concerned about how the party intends to zone its presidential ticket,” he wrote, hammering on equity and fairness since the presidency’s already in southern hands with Tinubu. He even called for clear lines on doling out key coalition roles to keep things inclusive and ramp up nationwide hustle for the polls.
Abdullahi wasn’t buying it. “ADC leaders have not discussed zoning. How can we break a promise we have not made?” he fired off, calling Tanko’s take “divisive and destabilising” and straight-up misleading. He questioned if Tanko even looped in Obi before going public, insisting the guy’s not a real player in the coalition talks. “Tanko’s view does not reflect Peter Obi’s position,” Abdullahi added, making it clear the party won’t stomach rants from outsiders who don’t get how things roll inside.
This beef blew up right after last week’s ADC caucus huddle in Abuja, where heavyweights like ex-VP Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir El-Rufai showed up but Obi skipped it. The crew decided all big names gotta ditch their current parties and go all-in on ADC to prove they’re serious. That move apparently ticked off the Obidients, who are still hitched to the Labour Party and eyeing a full jump.
Abdullahi stressed the party’s cool with chatting concessions down the line, but only with legit insiders no room for folks stirring the pot without a seat at the table. It’s all part of ADC’s play to glue together this anti-Tinubu mash-up without early fractures, especially as whispers of an open ticket float around.
Tanko’s not alone in the zoning gripe—PDP and APC jumped the gun months back by locking theirs south, which Abdullahi called a scripted move to reel in specific hopefuls. For ADC, though, it’s merit over maps, at least for now, as they grind on grassroots buildup. With 2027 looming, this spat could either smoke out the real players or scatter the coalition before it even gels. Eyes on Obi what’s his next word?
