Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that he has been asked to abandon his 2027 presidential ambition in favor of a southern candidate under the opposition African Democratic Congress.
Atiku, who hails from Adamawa State in Nigeria’s Northeast, responded to growing calls from some coalition members urging the ADC to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. Supporters of this move argue that a southern candidate should complete a potential two-term presidency if incumbent President Bola Tinubu is not re-elected.
Key southern contenders in the opposition coalition include Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Both have reportedly pledged to serve only a single four-year term if elected in 2027, paving the way for the presidency to return to the North by 2031.
Amid these discussions, reports emerged suggesting that Atiku had been pressured to step aside for a southern candidate. However, the former Vice President firmly denied these claims in a statement issued by his media office on Tuesday.
“There was no such meeting. Atiku Abubakar was never in attendance. The entire story is a malicious fabrication — pure fiction cooked up in the propaganda kitchens of the Tinubu-led APC regime,” the statement read.
Atiku dismissed the reports as a deliberate attempt to create division within the opposition.
“This is nothing but a diversionary tactic — an attempt by a faltering administration to sow discord within the opposition and derail the momentum gained by the successful unveiling of the ADC,” he said.
He maintained that the opposition remains united under the ADC to challenge President Tinubu in 2027, stating:
“We want to remind the ruling party that Nigerians have already embraced the ADC as the most credible and viable opposition platform ahead of 2027. The massive and growing support the ADC continues to enjoy across the country is a clear signal that the Tinubu administration is living on borrowed time.”
Atiku urged Nigerians to disregard the reports, emphasizing that they lacked credibility, authorship, or factual basis.