Former Kaduna State Governor and chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Nasir El-Rufai, has disclosed that the newly launched opposition coalition may register a fresh political party as a backup in case of internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

El-Rufai, one of the architects of the emerging coalition, said the plan is to preempt any destabilization efforts that could be sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly through loyalists embedded within the ADC.

He made this known during an interview with Radio France International (RFI) Hausa Service on Wednesday night, just hours after the coalition formally adopted the ADC as its political platform at a high-profile event held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

According to El-Rufai, “The opposition parties’ alliance in the ADC is temporary, and we may register a new party as a second option, which we will move to should the ADC be instigated into crisis by the government.”

He accused the Tinubu administration of attempting to coerce political figures into submission, alleging that “those who refuse to join the APC face threats of investigations by agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), or the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).”

On Wednesday opposition figures converged in Abuja to unveil the ADC as the platform through which they hope to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 general election.

The event was attended by former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party’s Peter Obi; former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, among others.

Also present were former Senate President David Mark—who was announced as interim National Chairman of the ADC—and other politicians such as Senator Ireti Kingibe, Senator Victor Umeh, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, Solomon Dalung, Dino Melaye, and Dele Momodu.

The outgoing ADC leadership, led by Ralph Nwosu, formally resigned at the event to allow the coalition to take over the party’s structure.