Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that he will not step aside for any aspirant within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 election must emerge through an open, transparent and competitive primary.
Atiku made the position clear on Tuesday in a statement issued by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, amid growing political alignments ahead of the next general election.
He warned that Nigeria’s democracy is under serious strain, arguing that the opposition is facing an existential threat as a result of what he described as deliberate efforts to weaken alternative political platforms.
According to the former vice president, a credible democratic system cannot thrive without strong and viable opposition parties. He alleged that agents loyal to President Bola Tinubu are attempting to destabilise the ADC through internal interference and manipulation in order to distract the party and undermine its cohesion ahead of the 2027 contest.
Apart from Atiku, other politicians said to be interested in the ADC’s presidential ticket include the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Rejecting calls for him to withdraw, Atiku said: “Any call—overt or covert—for Atiku to ‘step aside’ is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people. 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 that the party is currently focused on grassroots mobilisation nationwide. “At present, the ADC is focused on building strong ward, local government, and state structures nationwide. Disruptors and infiltrators must allow the party to do this essential work without interference,” he said.
Atiku stressed that the ADC remains inclusive and open to all genuine opposition figures, describing openness as the essence of democracy. “The party remains open and welcoming to all genuine opposition figures. This inclusiveness—not coercion—is the soul of democracy. When the time comes, all qualified aspirants will present themselves freely. No one is stepping down,” he emphasised.
He argued that if anyone should step aside, it should be President Tinubu, whose leadership he described as a national liability. According to him, Nigerians have endured nearly three years of severe hardship marked by harsh economic policies and a shrinking democratic space under the current administration.
He said: “True to form, this administration has not only inflicted widespread hardship but has pursued a calculated effort to eliminate political alternatives. The objective is clear: a creeping, de facto one-party state.”
Atiku further accused the Tinubu administration of deliberately weakening opposition parties. “Perhaps the Tinubu administration’s most disturbing ‘achievement’ has been the systematic weakening of opposition parties, leaving the All Progressives Congress—despite its manifest failures—standing alone by default, not by merit,” he stated.
He noted that concerned political leaders had rallied around the ADC as a credible national alternative, describing the party as being on a “national rescue mission.”
According to the statement, the recent public declaration of ADC membership by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in Enugu triggered open boasts by a serving minister and presidential aides about plans to undermine the party, a development Atiku said exposed their fear.
He concluded: “Let there be no ambiguity: 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.”
