Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that no presidential aspirant will be compelled to step down for another in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the party is committed to a transparent and competitive process for selecting its flagbearer.
Atiku made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, amid growing speculation that he is under pressure to withdraw from the race in favour of a southern candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Dismissing the rumours, the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said opposition leaders had rallied around the ADC to build a credible national alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that all qualified aspirants would be allowed to freely present themselves when the party’s selection process begins.
According to Atiku, attempts to pressure any aspirant to step aside amount to a deliberate strategy to weaken the opposition.
“Predictably, agents aligned with the presidency are now attempting to destabilise the ADC from the outside issuing reckless prescriptions about its internal affairs, particularly regarding the choice of a presidential candidate,” he said.
“Let it be stated clearly: the ADC is on a national rescue mission. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside other committed patriots, is central to this effort. Any call overt or covert for Atiku to ‘step aside’ is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people.”
He emphasised that the ADC remains firmly committed to “an open, transparent, and competitive process” in the selection of its presidential candidate.
Atiku also accused the Tinubu-led administration of misgovernance, describing the government as a growing national liability that has plunged Nigerians into hardship while shrinking democratic space.
“For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the most difficult periods in recent history an era marked by harsh economic policies and a shrinking democratic environment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
He further alleged that the administration has pursued a calculated agenda to weaken opposition parties in a bid to establish what he described as a creeping one-party state.
“Perhaps the most troubling outcome of the Tinubu administration has been the systematic erosion of opposition politics, leaving the APC despite its evident failures standing alone by default, not by merit,” Atiku added.
He noted, however, that concerned national leaders recognised the danger early and chose to resist by rallying around the ADC as the nucleus of a credible and united opposition.
“Thankfully, patriotic leaders saw the threat and chose resistance over silence by building the African Democratic Congress into a viable national alternative,” he concluded.
