Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that no aspirant will be pressured to step down for another in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential race as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to intimidate and weaken the opposition ahead of the polls.
His comments followed speculations that he was under pressure to step aside for a southern candidate to emerge as the ADC’s presidential flagbearer in the contest against President Bola Tinubu.
According to the former vice president, opposition leaders rallied around the ADC to build a credible national alternative to the ruling party, stressing that all qualified aspirants would be allowed to contest freely once the party begins its selection process.
“Predictably, agents aligned with the presidency are now attempting to destabilise the ADC from the outside—issuing reckless prescriptions about its internal affairs, particularly the choice of a presidential candidate,” Atiku said.
“Let it be stated plainly: 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.”
Atiku emphasised that the ADC remained committed to an “open, transparent, and competitive process” in selecting its presidential candidate.
He also criticised President Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a growing national liability marked by economic hardship and democratic decline.
“For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the harshest periods in recent history, an era defined by punishing economic policies and shrinking democratic space under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“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.”
The former vice president further accused the Tinubu-led government of systematically weakening opposition parties to entrench APC dominance.
“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.
“Thankfully, patriotic leaders saw this danger early and chose resistance over silence by rallying around the African Democratic Congress as the nucleus of a credible national alternative,” he added.
