Atiku claims there's a scheme to bar ADC from the 2027 election ticket

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sounded the alarm over an alleged plot by certain elements within the ruling establishment to bar the African Democratic Congress from participating in the 2027 general election, warning that such a move would be a severe blow to Nigeria's democratic system.

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This warning was issued in a statement released on Monday by Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in which Atiku claimed to have received "credible information" about coordinated political and legal manoeuvres aimed at keeping the party off the ballot.

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According to Atiku, this alleged move is part of a broader campaign to weaken the opposition and deny Nigerians the freedom to choose their next president, with the African Democratic Congress being the primary target as it represents the most credible alternative.

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Atiku called on Nigerians, regardless of their political affiliation, to resist the ruling All Progressives Congress's attempts to dictate which opposition parties can contest the election, stating that the APC's actions are driven by fear of the ADC.

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He questioned the APC's confidence in its popularity, asking why the party is so terrified of the ADC if it truly believes in its own strengths.

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Atiku expressed hope that the alleged plot would not come to fruition but argued that recent political developments make it difficult to dismiss such warnings, citing a pattern of institutions being drawn into partisan disputes and the use of frivolous litigation, administrative actions, and political pressure against opposition figures.

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He described this pattern as one where institutions that should remain neutral are pulled into partisan contests, followed by the sudden momentum of frivolous litigations, the selective deployment of administrative powers, and the mounting of political pressure behind closed doors, ultimately leading to democracy itself becoming the casualty.

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The former vice president accused the ruling party of prioritizing political battles over governance, despite the numerous economic and security challenges facing Nigeria, stating that the obsession with silencing the opposition has consumed the party to the point where governance has taken a back seat.

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Atiku emphasized that the proper response to the ADC's growing popularity should be through democratic competition, not institutional interference, and that elections should be decided by voters, not through legal or administrative means.

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He warned that preventing the ADC from participating in the electoral process would be one of the most significant threats to constitutional democracy since Nigeria's return to civilian rule in 1999.

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Atiku appealed to the judiciary to resist political pressure and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, civil society organizations, and the international community to remain vigilant against actions that could undermine the electoral process's credibility.

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He maintained that no administration has the constitutional authority to determine which political party Nigerians can vote for, emphasizing that sovereignty belongs to the people and that every attempt to tamper with the ballot is an attack on the Republic itself.

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Atiku declared that intimidation, judicial manipulation, and political engineering would not diminish public support for the ADC, stating that the desire for change cannot be outlawed and that the will of the Nigerian people will prevail over every conspiracy.

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The statement comes amid heightened political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with Atiku and ex-Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi adopting the ADC as a platform for building a coalition aimed at challenging the ruling APC.

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Neither the Presidency, the APC, nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had responded to Atiku's allegations at the time of filing this report, as the political landscape continues to evolve with accusations of attempts to weaken rival platforms through legal disputes and internal party crises.