The South East Patriots (SEP), a leading political advocacy group in Nigeria’s Southeast, has congratulated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on his formal registration as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as a decisive step that could reshape the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, who contested the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday completed his official registration with the ADC at his ward in Adamawa State—a development that immediately sparked political debate across the country. Many observers interpret his move as the beginning of a broader recalibration within Nigeria’s opposition bloc, which has remained deeply fragmented and poorly coordinated since the aftermath of the 2023 elections.
In a statement signed by its Director General, Obunike C. Ohaegbu, SEP said Atiku’s political realignment demonstrates “courage, foresight, and a refreshing readiness to reposition the opposition for meaningful engagement, coordination, and collective action.” The group argued that Atiku’s decision is not just a personal move but a significant signal to all opposition leaders that time is running out ahead of 2027 and that decisive steps must now be taken.
The group’s message, however, was directed most strongly at Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, whose political influence has expanded and whose supporters maintain a vocal national presence. SEP urged Obi to urgently join Atiku in the ADC, insisting that the opposition cannot afford to approach 2027 in scattered silos. According to the group, only a unified front led by the two most prominent opposition figures can mount a credible challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
SEP stressed that Nigeria can no longer tolerate what it described as “disjointed political grandstanding, ego-driven fragmentation, or endless hesitation,” warning that such tendencies would doom the opposition to another disappointing defeat. The group said the 2027 elections demand early coordination, strategic coalition-building, and a unified demand for comprehensive electoral reforms—tasks that require cooperation, not rivalry.
As part of its argument, SEP invoked the 2018 Nike Lake Agreement, a political pact signed in Enugu and anchored by the late legal icon Prof. Ben Nwabueze, SAN. The agreement laid the foundation for the Atiku/Obi joint ticket in the 2019 election and included commitments to reopening Eastern ports, dredging the River Niger to boost commerce, completing the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri rail line, and advancing balanced national development. SEP insisted that this framework remains the most credible and historically grounded pathway for regionally inclusive development and national political stability. It warned that abandoning the spirit and structure of the Atiku/Obi partnership would be “a guaranteed recipe for failure.”
In an uncharacteristically blunt tone, SEP declared that unless Atiku and Obi revive the Nike Lake Agreement and consolidate forces ahead of 2027, the group will not consider the opposition serious about winning. It added that elections are not arenas for emotional experiments but strategic contests that require unity, discipline, and sacrifice.
The group warned that if the opposition remains fragmented, the 2027 elections would almost certainly produce an outcome similar to—or even worse than—the 2023 election. It stressed that the enormous human effort, financial resources, mobilisation energy, and public expectations that accompany a national campaign cannot be wasted on efforts that are fundamentally disunited or poorly harmonised. According to SEP, “without a united front, such sacrifices would be wasteful and unjustifiable.”
Beyond Atiku and Obi, SEP called on ADC leaders, pro-democracy movements, civil society organisations, and Nigerians who desire change to rally behind a unified opposition. The group argued that Nigeria stands at a critical political crossroads, and the decisions taken by opposition leaders in the coming months will determine whether the country experiences democratic renewal or sinks into deeper political stagnation. It cautioned that history would not be kind to any leader who allows ego, hesitation, or personal ambition to jeopardise Nigeria’s democratic future.
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