Atiku: I Will Not Step Aside, ADC Committed to Open, Competitive Process

• Says democracy under siege, opposition facing existential threat

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday declared that he will not step aside for any contender within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that all qualified aspirants will be subjected to an open, transparent and competitive process as the party prepares for the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku also warned that Nigeria’s democracy was under severe strain, arguing that the opposition was facing an existential threat amid what he described as deliberate attempts to weaken alternative political platforms.

The former vice president made the declarations in a statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, insisting that a credible democratic system cannot survive without strong and viable opposition parties.

He further alleged that agents of President Bola Tinubu were bent on destabilising the ADC through internal interference and manipulation, a move he said was designed to distract the party and undermine its cohesion ahead of the electoral contest.

Aside from the former vice president, others who have indicated interest in the ADC’s presidential ticket include the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 polls, Peter Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

“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.

“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.

“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.

If anyone should step aside, Atiku maintained that it is President Bola Tinubu, whose leadership, he argued, has become a national liability.

For nearly three years, he stated that Nigerians have endured one of the harshest periods in recent history—an era defined by punishing economic policies and shrinking democratic space under 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.

“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 (ADC) as the nucleus of a credible national alternative.

“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 pointed out.

According to the statement, the ADC is on a ‘national rescue mission’, while Atiku, alongside other committed patriots, is central to the effort.

The recent public declaration of ADC membership by former LP presidential candidate,  Obi in Enugu, the political heartbeat of the South-east, he maintained, triggered open boasts by a serving minister and presidential aides about plans to undermine the party. Their fear, he explained, is evident.

“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,” he emphasised.