Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that there are ongoing efforts by unnamed actors within the ruling establishment to prevent his party from participating in the 2027 general elections.
In a statement released on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku claimed he had received credible information indicating that legal and political strategies were being coordinated to stop the ADC from appearing on the ballot.
According to the former vice president, the alleged plan is aimed at weakening the opposition and limiting Nigerians’ democratic right to freely elect their leaders.
“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 warned that any attempt to stop the ADC from contesting the election would pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic process.
Addressing the ruling All Progressives Congress, Atiku said, “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?”
Although he expressed hope that such a scenario would not occur, Atiku argued that recent political developments had created grounds for concern.
He alleged that institutions expected to remain neutral were increasingly being drawn into partisan conflicts, while legal actions and administrative measures were selectively 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 also accused the ruling party of prioritising political survival over governance despite the country’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,” he stated.
Atiku maintained that political popularity should be tested through elections rather than institutional interference.
“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 further urged the judiciary to remain independent and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, civil society organisations and the international community to closely monitor developments 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,” Atiku added.
He insisted that public support for the ADC could not be extinguished through intimidation or political manoeuvring.
“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,” he declared.
The statement comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Atiku and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi adopting the ADC as the platform for a coalition seeking to challenge the ruling APC.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency, the APC nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had responded to the allegations.
