Atiku Raises Alarm Over Alleged Plot to Stop ADC From 2027 Poll

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that unnamed elements within the ruling establishment are plotting to stop the ADC from participating in the 2027 general elections, warning that such a move would amount to a serious attack on Nigeria’s democracy.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, claimed he had received credible intelligence that political and legal manoeuvres were being coordinated to prevent the opposition party from appearing on the 2027 ballot.

According to him, the alleged plot is part of a wider agenda 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 stated.

He challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to face the opposition at the polls instead of allegedly attempting to determine which political parties should participate in 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 queried.

Although expressing hope that the alleged plan would not materialise, Atiku argued that recent political events had made such concerns difficult to dismiss.

He alleged a recurring pattern in which institutions expected to remain neutral were drawn into partisan contests, while what he described as frivolous lawsuits, administrative actions and political pressure were used 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 APC-led government of prioritising political battles 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,” the statement added.

Atiku maintained that the growing popularity of the ADC should be challenged through democratic competition rather than institutional interference, insisting that elections should be decided by voters.

“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 stated.

He warned that preventing the ADC from participating in the 2027 elections would rank among the gravest threats to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy since the country’s return to civilian rule in 1999.

The former vice president also 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 any action 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.

Atiku insisted 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,” he declared.

His statement comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with Atiku and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi adopting the ADC as the platform for a coalition seeking to challenge the APC.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency, the APC nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had responded to Atiku’s allegations.