Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, has warned that any attempt to keep the African Democratic Congress out of the 2027 general election would be a serious attack on Nigeria’s democracy and has accused unidentified members of the ruling establishment of hatching a new plot.
In a statement released on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku, the ADC’s presidential candidate, expressed concern that he had “credible information” indicating that legal and political ploys were being planned to keep the party off the ballot.
He claims that the purported action is a part of a larger effort to undermine the opposition and prevent Nigerians from freely selecting their next president.
“We know all about their schemes. Atiku stated, “We know their true target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative, even though they try to sow confusion within the opposition.”
Regardless of their political identity, he urged Nigerians to oppose what he claimed were attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress to decide which opposition groups should be let to run for office.
“We have a straightforward message for the APC and the men in hoods who are scheming in secret: you can plot, but you will fail. Why is the APC so afraid of the ADC if it is genuinely confident in its popularity?” he questioned.
Atiku stated that it was difficult to ignore such warnings notwithstanding his expectation that the purported plot would not come to pass due to recent political developments.
He claimed that there was a pattern whereby organizations that were supposed to be impartial were involved into partisan conflicts, and opposition people were subjected to what he called pointless legal proceedings, administrative actions, and political pressure.
The pattern is now all too recognizable. First, organizations that should be impartial get lured into political disputes. Then pointless lawsuits unexpectedly pick up steam. The use of administrative authority is selective. Behind closed doors, political pressure is increased. He stated, “Democracy itself soon becomes the casualty.”
In addition, he charged that despite Nigeria’s security and economic problems, the ruling party prioritizes political conflicts over governance.
“Governance itself has been neglected as a result of the fixation with stifling the opposition. The statement said, “Those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival at a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power.”
Atiku insisted that democratic competition, not institutional meddling, should be used to counter the ADC’s increasing popularity. He stated that voters should decide elections, not the government or the judicial system.
“Suppression is not the appropriate response to a popular political movement. Its purpose is to introduce the electorate to better ideas. “Democracies are won at the ballot box, not in back rooms, not through courtroom manipulation, and most definitely not through the abuse of state institutions,” he stated.
He cautioned that one of the biggest challenges to constitutional democracy since Nigeria’s restoration to civilian rule in 1999 would be keeping the ADC from taking part in the election process.
In addition, Atiku urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, security services, civil society organizations, and the international community to be on the lookout for any actions that might compromise the legitimacy of the electoral process, and he called on the judiciary to withstand political pressure.
“No administration has the constitutional power to decide which political party Nigerians are allowed to vote for. The people own sovereignty, not those in positions of temporary authority. “Every attempt to tamper with the ballot is an attack on the Republic itself, and the ballot is sacred,” he declared.
He insisted that political scheming, judicial manipulation, and intimidation would not erode public support for the ADC.
“It is impossible to forbid the desire for change. It is not possible to deregister Hope. Administrative fiat cannot undermine democracy. Every conspiracy would be defeated by the Nigerian people’s will, Atiku proclaimed.
Ahead of the 2027 general election, Atiku and Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State, have adopted the ADC as a platform for forming a coalition to oppose the incumbent APC. This announcement coincides with increased political realignments.
