The African Democratic Congress has said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 without relying on a coalition of opposition parties.

National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi made the argument on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He said the ADC was confident it could win on its own strength and that elections are decided at polling units through organisation and trust, not television alliances.

A wider opposition front, he conceded, might make the job easier. But he insisted it was not necessary. Asked directly whether Atiku could defeat Tinubu without other parties, Abdullahi said that was the party’s thinking and what it was working towards.

He argued that some voters would switch based on their experience under the current administration and that the ADC expected support from different parts of the country. The comments follow the collapse of earlier talks on a single opposition ticket.

The Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress have not accepted the claim. Campaign statements of this kind set out a party’s strategy rather than settle the contest. Both sides are still months away from the 2027 vote.