Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that no presidential aspirant in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will be asked to step down for another, as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku made the assertion in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, in which he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to intimidate and weaken the opposition ahead of the polls.
His comments followed speculation that he was under pressure to step aside in favour of a southern candidate to emerge as the ADC’s presidential flagbearer against President Bola Tinubu.
According to Atiku, opposition leaders rallied around the ADC to build a credible national alternative to the ruling party, stressing that all qualified aspirants would be free to contest once the party formally 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,” the former vice president said.
He insisted that the ADC was on what he described as a “national rescue mission,” warning that any call for him to step aside would undermine democratic competition.
“Any call—overt or covert—for Atiku Abubakar to ‘step aside’ is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people,” he added.
Atiku reaffirmed the party’s commitment to an “open, transparent and competitive” process for selecting its presidential candidate.
He also accused President Tinubu’s administration of poor governance, describing it as an increasing national liability.
“For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the harshest periods in recent history, marked by punishing economic policies and a shrinking democratic space,” he said.
Atiku further alleged that the Tinubu administration was deliberately weakening opposition parties in pursuit of what he described as a creeping one-party state.
“Despite its manifest failures, the APC now seeks to stand alone by default, not by merit,” he said, adding that opposition leaders had recognised the danger early and rallied around the ADC as the platform for a viable national alternative.
