"I will be lying to say it didn't mean anything. These are two significant politicians... When you lose those two politicians, then you will feel that you've lost something. But it's not a mortal blow."
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has acknowledged that the exit of two prominent politicians, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, is a significant setback but insists it does not threaten the party's survival ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, the party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the exit of the two top politicians as a temporary setback and said the party will recalibrate and return stronger.
"I will be lying to say it didn't mean anything. These are two significant politicians... When you lose those two politicians, then you will feel that you've lost something. But it's not a mortal blow," Mr Abdullahi said.
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Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso, who came third and fourth in the last presidential election, left the ADC to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday.
Their defection exposed a major crack in the ADC, a major opposition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. Until their defection, the ADC had brought together Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the last presidential elections alongside Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso, who came third and fourth, respectively.
Mr Obi cited the party's legal troubles and internal uncertainties as reasons for his exit.
But the ADC spokesperson, Mr Abdullahi, said the party remained intact, despite these defections.
He admitted there were court cases, but dismissed them as exaggerated.
He said the party only has three ongoing legal disputes, all of which he described as 'flimsy'.
According to him, one of the cases is settled because the Supreme Court has held that the leadership of a political party is not justiciable.
He said the lawsuit seeking the party's deregistration is based on a false assumption. While the lawsuit claimed that the ADC did not win any seat in the last election and should therefore be deregistered, Mr Abdullahi said the party did indeed win a seat in the House of Representatives with Leke Abejide, who recently defected from the party.
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He explained that the coalition was conceived as a response to what opposition leaders see as a worsening political and economic situation in the country.
He argued that unity remains the only viable path to electoral victory.
"There was a consensus among us that the direction the country is going to be quite precarious, and the only way we can win the election... is to build a party that is formidable enough to beat the incumbent," he added.
