Nigeria's budding opposition alliance under the African Democratic Congress has ramped up pressure, urging heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to quit their lingering party ties and commit fully ahead of the 2027 presidential showdown, even as rivals like the APC and PDP shrugged off the call as harmless reshuffling.

At a closed-door caucus in Abuja, ADC leaders including National Chairman David Mark, Atiku Abubabar, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal, and Chibuike Amaechi, hashed out next steps. Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi announced the directive for all coalition members to resign from outfits like the PDP and Labour Party, though no firm deadline was set.

The group also quashed disputes over the African Democratic Association, with aspirants pledging to rally behind the primary winner, and teased timelines for Osun and Ekiti governorship primaries.

Major parties brushed aside the buzz. APC spokesman Bala Ibrahim called it routine politicking, pointing to their own influx of switchers and recent by-election wins as proof that the ADC holds no sway.

PDP's Timothy Osadolor saw upside in the clarity, a chance to sift loyalists amid Nigeria's vast voter pool of over 240 million, insisting it won't dent their base.

NNPP's Ladipo Johnson likened it to a football transfer window—losses offset by youth gains—and eyed Kano's kingmaker role, while Labour's Obiora Ifoh zipped his lips, deeming it an internal ADC affair.

Down in Ogun State, ADC faithful gathered to woo locals, blasting APC rule for unemployment spikes, crumbling roads, and starved farms, while pushing voter card drives to oust the incumbents.

Ex-chairman Ralph Nwosu invoked a past chat with Olusegun Obasanjo, who reportedly foresaw the party's 2027 takeover after building steam in 2019 and 2023. Deputy Chairman Bamidele Ajadi and state head Femi Soluade echoed the call for unity, vowing youth jobs, ag revamps, and people-first fixes to reclaim Ogun's industrial edge.

As defections trickle and primaries loom, the coalition's full-court press tests loyalties in a field where numbers rule and alliances shift.