Uche Nwume: Mohammed Hayatudeen – The emerging ADC consensus

The die is cast. As we countdown to parry Primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections,  it is perhaps the most poorly kept secret in Nigerian politics that millions of citizens have already made up their mind and are looking to the opposition to salvage our dear country from the pain, poverty, hunger and economic turmoil that the President  Tinubu led APC government has visited upon us.

Despite the desperate machinations of the current administration through its agents, moles, and the subterranean deployment of government institutions such as the Judiciary, security agencies, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to frustrate the opposition ADC from fielding a presidential candidate, the party is still standing and is set to conduct it’s primaries to select candidates for Presidency and various elective positions.

At the very heart of these collective aspirations lies one defining question:

 Who will clinch the ADC Presidential ticket?

With the exit of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from the African Democratic Congress ADC to the Nigerian Democratic Congress(NDC), the contest for the ADC Presidential ticket is now essentially a 3-horse race between Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

As the momentum towards Party primaries builds, the question of whether the party will adopt direct primaries or a consensus model has hit the front burner.

 There is a growing concern within ADC leadership circles that Primaries will polarise the party and weaken the already fragmented opposition hence the compelling need for more Consensus building. As things stand, the party mechanics favour a Consensus Candidate and party leaders are sharply divided  between Atiku, who has serially contested for President in seven election cycles spanning over 30 Years without much success in different Parties and Amaechi who is relatively less popular but is anchoring his quest for the ticket on the clamour for power rotation and zoning to the South. 

But beyond these internal party mechanics and dynamics, Nigerians are clamouring for something more fundamental,  a candidate who represents a genuine breath of fresh air.

Not another career politician. Not necessarily the most popular candidate, Not another serial candidate recycled from the same tired political circuit. What Nigerians want is proven competence, demonstrable capacity, unimpeachable integrity, and a candidate who is not burdened by the weight of political baggage to fix Nigeria. 

It is precisely this yearning that explains why the entry of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen into the race has generated considerable excitement and is gaining a lot of acceptance among ADC leaders and ordinary Nigerians alike. 

Here is a man they have come to regard as a fresh alternative: one who brings the right blend of private sector pedigree, institutional gravitas, personal integrity, and clarity of vision to make Nigeria work and compete meaningfully in the comity of nations.

Mohammed Hayatu-Deen stands out as the only true consensus candidate in this race; a man with no political enemies, no factional allegiances to placate, and no skeletons in the cupboard. He is uniquely positioned to unify the different power blocs within the ADC and galvanise the kind of broad-based support needed to send the Tinubu led APC administration which has brought pain, sorrow and untold hardship to millions of Nigerians packing in 2027.

Will the ADC make the right choice? That remains to be seen. But millions of Nigerians will be watching, and hoping, that it does.

The stakes in 2027 are too high for a gamble. And Mohammed Hayatu-Deen is increasingly emerging as the right and favorite choice to make.

Engineer Uche Nwume writes from Awka – Anambra.

Uche Nwume: Mohammed Hayatudeen – The emerging ADC consensus