Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has questioned the fitness of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to lead Nigeria, following Abubakar’s decision to join the African Democratic Congress.

Oshiomhole issued the criticism on Monday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, shortly after Abubakar publicly confirmed his membership of the ADC. The former vice-president had earlier shared a photograph of himself holding his party card on X with the caption: “It’s official.”

The senator argued that Abubakar’s long-running difficulty in stabilising the Peoples Democratic Party undermines his present bid to reposition the country. According to him, the former vice-president has failed to demonstrate the capacity to provide direction within the PDP, despite decades of political influence.

Oshiomhole said, “If Atiku as a former vice-president under PDP could not fix PDP, he could not reconstruct it, and he could not provide leadership and use his influence which he had built, how can you lay claim to fix Nigeria?”

He linked Abubakar’s latest move to a pattern of political withdrawals, recalling that the former vice-president had also quit the APC after failing to secure its presidential ticket. Oshiomhole maintained that Abubakar only returned to the PDP for electoral purposes, yet “could not build” the party that once elevated him to the position of vice-president.

He added, “He was once a member of the APC. He left because he lost the party’s presidential ticket. He went back to the PDP. He’s so much in love with the PDP, at least for the purpose of contesting election. He could not build PDP. So, if Atiku can’t build the PDP that made him vice-president, he can’t fix Nigeria.”

Abubakar’s defection to the ADC follows his resignation from the PDP in July, after months of internal disputes that left the opposition party fractured ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Nafiu Bala-led faction of the African Democratic Congress has distanced itself from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s registration in Adamawa State, maintaining that he is not formally acknowledged as a member of the party.

The clarification followed shortly after Atiku publicly received his ADC membership card at the Jada 1 Ward in Adamawa.

In a statement released in Abuja, the ADC Director of Media and Public Affairs, Christopher Okechukwu, said the registration carried out in Adamawa did not comply with recognised party processes and therefore lacked legitimacy.

Okechukwu explained that “This registration was conducted by individuals not recognised by the ADC’s National Headquarters and therefore lacked authority to register new members.”

He added that the party had repeatedly advised Atiku to complete his membership process with the constitutionally recognised ward executives in his area, a step he had not yet taken.

The faction further cautioned that Atiku’s actions might be tied to a “broader strategy to leverage the ADC while awaiting reconciliation with the Peoples Democratic Party,” saying similar political patterns had been observed in the past.

Okechukwu urged the former vice president to adhere to established procedures, stressing that the ADC “is not a vehicle for personal ambition but a movement committed to democratic renewal,” while assuring him that full membership privileges would be available once his registration is completed through the appropriate ward structure.

The statement emerged amid an ongoing leadership tussle in the ADC, with the legitimacy of David Mark’s national leadership currently before the Federal High Court—an issue the faction insists must be resolved before coalition partners, including Atiku’s allies, can be integrated.

Atiku’s decision came months after he resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party in July, accusing it of straying from its founding principles. On Monday, he declared that “the real opposition has begun” as he proudly picked up his ADC membership card in Adamawa.

“Now I have picked up my membership card of the ADC. Now, the real opposition has begun. We will chase the APC out of government,” he said.

His registration exercise was overseen by the Adamawa ADC chairman, Shehu Yohanna, alongside the ADC Registration and Mobilisation Committee, with notable political figures—including former Governor Bindow Jibrilla and Senator Aishatu Binani—present during the event, signalling a significant development ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku’s move aligns with a broader opposition coalition featuring Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, ex-SGF Babachir Lawal, and other political heavyweights who had previously agreed to adopt the ADC as a collective platform to challenge the ruling APC.

However, the sharp resistance from the ADC factional leadership suggests that Atiku’s membership status may now become another source of internal friction within the emerging opposition alliance.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Atiku made the announcement on Monday through his X account, where he posted a photograph showing his ADC membership card and added the caption, “It’s official.”

His move to the ADC follows his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July.

More to come…