Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says there is an existing agreement within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction led by David Mark to support whoever emerges as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
Speaking in a DW Hausa interview that went viral on
Saturday, the former vice-president addressed the ongoing ADC leadership
dispute.
The leadership crisis escalated on Wednesday after the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) de-recognised the factions led
by Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s
commissioner for information and voter education, the commission said it would
refrain from engaging either faction, citing the March 12 court of appeal
judgement.
The commission added that it would not attend meetings,
congresses, or conventions of the groups pending the determination of a case
before the federal high court.
Since July 2025, when the Mark-led executives took over the
party leadership, Abubakar and other opposition figures, including Peter Obi,
the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Rotimi Amaechi,
former minister of transportation, have indicated interest in contesting the
2027 presidential election on the platform of ADC.
During the interview, Abubakar said stakeholders within the
Mark-led faction had agreed to prioritise unity.
“We promised that whoever got the ticket, we would support
them. Now, there are only three or four people, but when we were contesting in
the PDP, there were more than 10 of us,” he said.
He added that the party is witnessing growing participation
from young people.
“Youth are dominating the party now. Whoever you see
planning to contest, from councillor to state assembly, national assembly, and
governor, they are all youth. We already said our party is for youth and women;
we want to win and give it to them,” he said.
Abubakar also dismissed concerns that the recent crisis has
weakened the party, saying its membership is expanding across the country.
“People from every state are registering as members, and
because of that, I don’t believe the events of two or three days ago have
discouraged anyone at all,” he said.
‘THERE IS EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE’
The former vice-president, however, alleged external
interference in the party’s affairs, linking it to the leadership tussle.
“Of course, we shouldn’t have to say it, but this is
external interference. They are using someone because they see our party
getting stronger every day, and they think it will be a challenge to them if we
continue to grow,” he said.
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Without naming him directly, Abubakar appeared to be making
a veiled reference to Nafiu Bala Gombe, questioning his claim to the party’s
leadership.
“How can someone claim to be the party’s national chairman
while being provided with security, cars, and accommodation? You know it’s
external,” he said.
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He further alleged that there is evidence to support the
claim.
“We have evidence because we know who he is, and we see him
acting like a governor. Yet, he hasn’t visited his hometown in the six months
since this issue started. Why won’t you go to your town?” Abubakar asked.
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He, however, said Nigerians are yearning for a change.
“Nigerians want change and are ready to make it a reality.
They have been pushed to the limit and are more than ready to do more than what
they did in 2014 and 2015,” he said.
The former vice-president also decried the “worsening”
insecurity in the country, linking it to unemployment and poor education.
“Insecurity is worsening in the northern states, driven
largely by high youth unemployment and a failing education system. I have never
seen anything like this before in Nigeria,” he said.
Speaking further, he accused the government of “stealing
public funds openly”.
“What I can say is that the government is stealing openly.
They are stealing public funds, and the government doesn’t bother because it’s
part of it,” he said.
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