John Oyegun Joins ADC, Launches 2027 Opposition Coalition Platform to Challenge APC
🗓️ 16 July 2025
🖋️ Byline: IDNN Political Desk
Benin City, Nigeria – Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), sending a seismic wave through Nigeria’s political establishment and solidifying ADC’s role as a potential platform for a mega opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Oyegun, a former governor of Edo State and respected elder statesman, received his ADC membership card in Benin on Tuesday from the party’s state chairman, Kennedy Odion, during a quiet but symbolically potent registration ceremony.
“The ADC has the interest of Nigerians at heart. I’ve studied the field. I’ve talked to several parties — we went back and forth. But the ADC stood out,” Oyegun declared.
Strategic Return to Coalition Politics
This is not Oyegun’s first dance with coalitions. As APC’s pioneer national chairman, he helped midwife the 2013 opposition merger that ended the PDP’s 16-year rule in 2015. His move to the ADC appears to be a full-circle return to his political roots in consensus-building.
“He understands how to build coalitions. He’s done it before — with success,” said ADC Chairman Odion.
“And now he’s here to do it again — this time, with us.”
Insiders confirmed Oyegun’s arrival follows weeks of negotiations involving top figures in the Senator David Mark-led ADC coalition, which is seeking to position itself as a broad-based alternative to both the ruling APC and a weakened PDP.
Why ADC? Oyegun Explains the Choice
Oyegun said his decision followed exhaustive consultations with over seven opposition parties, with the goal of establishing a united front that could rescue Nigeria from what he described as “a systemic governance collapse.”
“We talked to seven parties. But at the end, we found none as ideologically sound and focused as the ADC. That’s why I’m here.”
The former APC chairman added that the coalition’s mission is to create a national movement that unites youth, professionals, and political veterans around a shared goal of electoral reform, economic revival, and decentralised governance.
“We need a party that doesn’t just want to win power — we need a party that wants to reform how power works,” Oyegun said.
A Coalition in Motion for 2027
Political analysts say Oyegun’s entry gives the ADC coalition newfound credibility and momentum heading into the 2027 race.
“Oyegun brings legacy weight, elite respect, and moral clarity. His presence legitimizes the ADC coalition as a serious contender,” said political analyst Bamidele Ayankogbe.
Sources close to the coalition confirm that ADC is now actively wooing other high-profile defectors — including serving lawmakers and former governors — with the goal of presenting a single consensus candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
A Subtle Jab at APC
Though Oyegun did not directly attack his former party, his statements hinted at disappointment in the APC’s trajectory.
“You know, in mathematics, once you know the formula, the answer is predictable. I know the formula. And I know the APC has lost its way,” he said.
Oyegun’s defection comes on the heels of growing public dissatisfaction with APC governance, internal disarray within PDP, and calls for a third-force coalition with the capacity to shake up Nigeria’s political status quo.
