ADC COALITION: OLD WINE, NEW BOTTLE 

As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, the familiar ritual has begun: political realignments, strategic defections, and coalition building. The most recent manoeuvre is the emergence of a bloc under the banner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a coalition of major political figures now presenting themselves as an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

On the surface, this might appear to bode well for democratic competition. After all, democracy thrives on choice. The emergence of a credible opposition or the appearance of one lends the electoral process a veneer of vibrancy. Yet, scratch beneath the surface and the gloss begins to fade.

This so-called alternative is not new. It is merely the familiar repackaging.

Many of the actors behind this latest alliance have, at various times, been stalwarts of the APC or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They have governed before. They have been in the corridors of power. Their antecedents are known and, in many cases, underwhelming. To that extent, this coalition is hardly a rupture from the past. It is, in effect, old wine in a new bottle. A rebranding, not a reinvention. The leopard has not changed its spots.

Nigerians would do well not to be swept away by the theatrics. In the 2023 general election alone, there were 18 presidential candidates. And yet, national discourse remains shackled to the same familiar names, the so-called political heavyweights who re-emerge every four years cloaked in the promise of reform.

What Nigeria needs is not recycled ambition but a deeper civic discernment. If a candidate has held office before, interrogate their record. If they haven’t, examine their private and professional integrity. What values have they lived by? What have they built outside politics?

Our future will not be shaped by political choreography, but by the vigilance and judgement of the electorate. Let us not mistake motion for progress. Democracy must be more than a revolving door of yesterday’s men.

Kesiena Igho Oghoghorie, Lawyer & Public Policy Analyst, Abuja