Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Usani Uguru Usani, has expressed confidence that his new party, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, can replicate in 2027 what the All Progressives Congress, APC, achieved in 2015, defeating a sitting president.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on Thursday, Usani said there was nothing extraordinary about defeating an incumbent, adding that political history in Nigeria has already proven it possible.
He recalled that the APC, which was then a struggling opposition party, pulled off what many described as a political miracle by unseating President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections.
According to him, “People thought it was impossible to defeat an incumbent president, but it happened in 2015. That same feat will be repeated in 2027, both at the Cross River level and at the national stage.”
Usani dismissed recent media reports suggesting that he had been suspended by the ADC, insisting that he remains the party’s National Vice Chairman for the South-South.
I am speaking to you as the National Vice Chairman of our party in the South-South. Such suspension does not exist. The boys had to justify what they were paid to do,” he stated.
The former minister also said he and his party were not worried about the wave of defections from other parties into the APC, describing the moves as motivated by fear rather than conviction.
We’re not perturbed by defections to the APC. Our coalition party is set, and we are moving forward,” he said confidently.
Usani maintained that the ADC and its allies were building a credible alternative platform that would surprise many in the 2027 general elections, adding that the political landscape was shifting in favour of Nigerians seeking change once again.
