By Adamu Abuh, Abuja
The opposition Action Democratic Party (ADP) is in direct talks with other political parties to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.
ADP’s National Chairman, Engr Yabagi Yusuf Sani, confirmed the development at the weekend in Abuja during the launch of three books entitled- Tax Tithe in Tight Economy; Optimizing VAT for Business Growth and Economic Development; Murky Waters of Politics authored by the national treasurer of the party, Dr Okey Ude.
Though he declined to mention names of key opposition figures his party is networking with, he explained that he, alongside top notchers of the ADP is bent on ensuring the emergence of leaders that would turn around the fortunes of the country in the 2027 poll.
The Niger-born politician insisted that Nigerians deserve a better deal than what is obtainable under the President Tinubu-led administration.
According to him: “Yes, collaboration is the thing that gets things done. Even in business, you know, it’s not about domination, it’s about collaboration. So definitely we’ll collaborate with those that we know share in our ideology, in our approaches, and the fact that this country needs good leadership.
“So our party is for good leadership, because that’s what the country deserves. This country is a promise of greatness, and you have to get great leaders. And the great leaders cannot come the way we are going.
We must begin to change the system of recruitment of leadership, which means the process of conducting elections must have to be changed.
“The laws governing those processes must be fine-tuned in order to guarantee the aspiration of the people of this country. So this is why ADP is in the forefront of good governance for this country. And any party or any group of people that buys into that idea or believes in what we believe in, which is good governance for the people of this country, we will definitely collaborate with them.
“We shouldn’t be where we are today, yes, we are collaborating, we are networking, we are talking to people that we believe believe in what the ideas we have. And what idea we have, the idea is that this country belongs to all of us. This country must be run in a manner that will give you and any other person a sense of belonging and responsibility.
“And we will cater for you as enshrined in our constitution, guaranteeing your safety, guaranteeing your welfare, and ensuring that you are given the right to aspire to be whoever you want to be in any political arrangement. So that’s the thing that we believe in.”
Sani, who reminisced his experience in the murky waters of politics in the country, called on well-meaning Nigerians not to leave governance in the hands of misfits due to the misconceived notion that politics is a dirty game.
“You must get yourself heard, you know either by way of your vote or by your voice, because that’s what the constitution has guaranteed. It’s an inalienable right. If you don’t, then you now have to make do with bad decisions made by those that are considered bad guys or are not competent. So this is why people must get involved,” he said.
“Politics is about all of us. It’s about governance. And then, under democracy, it’s government by the people and for the people. So people cannot say that’s a dirty thing. It can’t be dirty. It’s if you play it dirty that it becomes dirty.”
Udo, who was ADP’s Vice presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, argued that with the vast resources spread across the country, Nigeria has the potential not just to be a giant of Africa but a giant of the world.
