Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged a fresh plot by unnamed elements within the ruling establishment to prevent the African Democratic Congress from participating in the 2027 general election.
He warned that any attempt to exclude the opposition party
from the contest would amount to a grave assault on Nigeria’s democracy.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the ADC, raised the
alarm in a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public
Communication, Phrank Shaibu, claiming he had received “credible information”
suggesting that political and legal manoeuvres were being coordinated to keep
the party off the ballot.
According to him, the alleged move formed part of a wider
campaign to weaken the opposition and deny Nigerians the opportunity to freely
choose their next president.
“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,” Atiku said.
He called on Nigerians, irrespective of political
affiliation, to resist what he described as efforts by the ruling All
Progressives Congress to determine which opposition parties should be allowed
to contest the election.
“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark
chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed. If the APC is
truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?” he
asked.
Although he expressed hope that the alleged plot would not
materialise, Atiku argued that recent political developments had made it
difficult to dismiss such warnings.
He alleged a recurring pattern in which institutions
expected to remain neutral were drawn into partisan disputes, while what he
described as frivolous litigation, administrative actions and political
pressure were deployed against opposition figures.
“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.
The former vice president further accused the ruling party
of focusing more on political battles than governance, despite Nigeria’s
economic and security challenges.
“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so
consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat.
“At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation,
unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with
public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national
survival,” the statement read.
Insisting that the ADC’s growing popularity should be met
through democratic competition rather than institutional interference, Atiku
said elections should be decided by voters and not through legal or
administrative means.
“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 said.
He warned that preventing the ADC from participating in the
electoral process would rank among the most serious threats to constitutional
democracy since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.
Atiku also appealed to the judiciary to resist political
pressure and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, security
agencies, civil society organisations and the international community to remain
vigilant against actions capable of undermining 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. The ballot is sacred, and every attempt to tamper with
it is an attack on the Republic itself,” he said.
He maintained that intimidation, judicial manipulation and
political engineering would not diminish public support for the ADC.
“The desire for change cannot be outlawed. Hope cannot be
deregistered. Democracy cannot be subverted by administrative fiat. The will of
the Nigerian people will prevail over every conspiracy,” Atiku declared.
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.
In recent months, both the APC and opposition parties have
traded accusations over alleged attempts to weaken rival political platforms
through legal disputes and internal party crises.
Neither the Presidency, the APC, nor INEC had responded to
Atiku’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.
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