Ahead of the 2027 elections, Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River State, on Friday, January 30, 2026, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
As reported by Vanguard, Duke was formally registered as a member of the ADC in Ward 5, Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, where he also received his membership card amid cheers from supporters.
Blueprint Newspapers also noted the development.
This marks the second time the former governor has left the PDP. He previously defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, a move that was trailed by controversy.
Legit.ng reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi have chosen the ADC as their new political home after breaking away from their respective parties – the PDP and the Labour Party (LP).
This is one of the biggest shake-ups in Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999.
Some political heavyweights from President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party have also thrown their weight behind the formation.
The development is the culmination of a series of talks between the leaders to put up a united front in the 2027 elections, rather than splitting their vote.
Tinubu won the 2023 election with just 37% of the vote after opposition supporters were divided between Atiku, who got 29%, and Obi with 25%.
Obi had broken away from the PDP after the party chose Abubakar as its presidential candidate. Other top members of the ADC coalition include ex-Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, and Senator Aminu Tambuwal.