Former vice president of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar vowed Tuesday that no presidential hopeful in his African Democratic Congress will yield ground in the 2027 race, rejecting calls for him to make way for a southern contender and branding such demands as bids by ruling party allies to sow division in the opposition.
Abubakar, a perennial candidate who placed second in the 2023 polls, framed the ADC as a bulwark against what he called the All Progressives Congress’s push toward a “de facto one-party state” under President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement from his media adviser Paul Ibe, Abubakar said: “The ADC has consistently affirmed its commitment to an open, transparent, and competitive process for selecting its flagbearer. APC proxies and external meddlers have no standing to intimidate, blackmail, or sabotage this democratic resolve.”
He added: “When the time comes, all qualified aspirants will present themselves freely. No one is stepping down. If anyone should step aside, it is President Tinubu—whose leadership has become a national liability.”
The pronouncement follows ex-Labour Party contender Peter Obi’s recent defection to the ADC, which Abubakar said had rattled Tinubu’s camp, prompting “open boasts by a serving minister and presidential aides about plans to undermine the party.”
Abubakar urged resistance, declaring: “The ADC is determined to end the misfortune imposed by the Tinubu-led APC. No amount of intimidation, intrigue, or sabotage will derail this rescue mission. Nigeria will not surrender its democracy without a fight.”
The ADC, positioning itself as a hub for opposition forces, is ramping up grassroots structures nationwide while remaining “open and welcoming to all genuine opposition figures,” the statement emphasized, amid speculation of more high-profile entries ahead of the vote.
