A former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, has described the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as the new credible platform to reposition Nigeria's opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Suswam is one the early defectors to the newly adopted ADC.
Many opposition politicians in Benue State are already flocking into the party in droves.
Speaking during a meeting with elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday at the Makurdi residence of Terngu Tsegba, Chairman of the Benue State Steering Committee of the National Coalition Movement, Suswam said his move to the ADC was driven by the need for a people-centered alternative capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said the PDP was no longer relevant owing to an endless crisis, making ADC the viable platform.
The meeting, which brought together five elders from each of Benue's 23 local government areas, was held in preparation for the official unveiling of the ADC in the state.
Suswam told the gathering that the ADC now belongs to the people and offers a fresh opportunity to build a robust opposition movement.
"In the same way PDP was handed to the local people, the ADC is hereby given to the people for full ownership. It is now their platform," he said.
He emphasized the importance of inclusive participation and warned against political imposition, urging leaders to allow citizens to freely express themselves within the emerging political structure.
The former governor also called for the rekindling of the energy and unity that once drove the PDP to electoral victories, saying that same momentum should now be infused into the ADC.
“Joining the ADC is a matter of choice and not by coercion,” Suswam stressed.
NATIONAL POST reports that former Senate President, David Mark, from Benue State is the Interim National Chairman of the ADC.
Already, ex-vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and former minister, Chibuike Amaechi, who recently dumped the APC, are all in line to clinch the party’s presidential ticket.
The ticket is considered as a make or mar battle for the opposition coalition.