Atiku Alleged Plot to Exclude ADC from 2027 Elections

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged a fresh plan to block the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from participating in the 2027 general elections. He warned that such a move would represent a grave assault on Nigeria’s democracy and undermine the people’s right to freely choose their leaders.

Atiku, who is the ADC’s presidential candidate, claimed he had received credible information suggesting that elements within the ruling establishment were coordinating political and legal manoeuvres to keep the party off the ballot.

According to him, the alleged plot is part of a broader campaign to weaken opposition parties and limit Nigerians’ electoral choices. “We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” he said.

Atiku accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to determine which opposition parties should contest the election. He argued that if the APC was confident in its popularity, it should not fear competition from the ADC.

He described the alleged strategy as a recurring pattern where neutral institutions are drawn into partisan disputes, frivolous litigations gain momentum, and administrative powers are selectively deployed against opposition figures.

ALSO READ

Immigration Debate: Ramaphosa Warns Against Violence

“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests. Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed. Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty,” he said.

Atiku criticised the ruling party for focusing more on silencing opposition voices than addressing Nigeria’s pressing challenges. He pointed to hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and declining purchasing power as issues that require urgent governance attention.

“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat,” he noted.

Insisting that the ADC’s growing popularity should be met through democratic competition, Atiku said elections must be decided by voters, not through legal or administrative suppression.

“The proper response to a popular political movement is not suppression. It is to present superior ideas before the electorate. Democracies are won at the ballot box, not in back rooms, not through manipulated court processes, and certainly not through the abuse of state institutions,” he declared.

Atiku urged the judiciary to resist political pressure and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, civil society organisations, and the international community to remain vigilant against actions that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

“No administration has the constitutional authority to determine which political party Nigerians are permitted to vote for. Sovereignty belongs to the people—not to those who temporarily wield power,” he said.

The statement comes amid heightened political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections. Atiku and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi have adopted the ADC as a platform for building a coalition aimed at challenging the APC.

Recent months have seen both the ruling party and opposition groups trade accusations over attempts to weaken rival platforms through litigation and internal crises.

As of press time, neither the Presidency, the APC, nor INEC had responded to Atiku’s allegations.