How Atiku floors Rotimi Amaechi, criticize APC

 By Our Correspondent 

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has formally accepted the presidential nomination of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections, positioning the opposition party as a formidable challenger to President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). 

L-R Atiku, Amaechi 

The acceptance came on Wednesday evening, May 27, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, following the party’s nationwide presidential primary.

Atiku, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ADC in 2025, secured a decisive victory in the primary, polling 1,846,370 votes. His closest rivals, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, received 504,117 and 177,120 votes respectively. 

National Chairman Senator David Mark handed over the party flag to Atiku amid applause from party leaders and supporters.

In a detailed acceptance speech, Atiku framed the ADC as a “coalition built through hard work, immense sacrifices and compromises” dedicated to rescuing Nigerian democracy, which he described as facing its greatest threat since the return to civilian rule in 1999.  

He directly accused the APC government of systematic intimidation, economic mismanagement, and suppression of democratic norms.

Atiku highlighted what he called engineered leadership crises in opposition parties, allegedly orchestrated by the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and elements in the judiciary. 

He cited the prolonged detention of former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a leading opposition figure for three months despite court-granted bail. 

Atiku noted El-Rufai’s denial of family time, including missing religious holidays and his mother’s passing, calling it “cruelty” that “must stop.”

“The government continues to harass, intimidate and coerce opposition politicians to join the APC using the security agencies as well as the agencies which were set up by a previous government to fight corruption,” Atiku declared. “Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear. This abuse of power must stop.”

He warned against further interference in ADC affairs, vowing fierce resistance to any attempts by the Presidency, INEC, or the judiciary to undermine the party.

Atiku painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s economy under APC rule. He criticized the government’s handling of fuel subsidy removal, noting unaccounted savings and unbearable hardship for citizens. 

He pointed to massive external borrowing reaching $30 billion in three years, funneled into contracts for cronies without due process, mortgaging future generations.

“The poverty gripping our people is at a level that we have never seen in our history,” he said. While the government touts growth statistics, Atiku argued that real gains have been limited to “the ill-gotten wealth of a few in and around the corridors of power,” leaving ordinary Nigerians struggling with food, transport, healthcare, and education costs.

He also slammed the energy crisis as “utterly embarrassing and economy-destroying,” pledging that an ADC government would remove investment bottlenecks and prioritize reliable electricity for industrialization.

Atiku called for unity among rivals, extending a specific invitation to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to “close ranks” and join the fight to save democracy. 

He emphasized that “there are no winners and no losers” in the primary and stressed the “fierce urgency of the moment.”

Key priorities outlined include:

- Security: Decisive action against widespread insecurity, including strengthened armed forces, police, and intelligence sharing. He lamented the slaughter of civilians and security personnel.

- Education: Free and compulsory primary and secondary education, massive investment in skills, infrastructure, and teacher welfare to address over 20 million out-of-school children.

- Economy: Pro-investment policies, job creation, and accountable borrowing.

- Healthcare: Emphasis on primary care, equipped centers of excellence, and private sector incentives.

- Accountable Leadership: Minimum welfare standards, power-sharing, and clear national plans with timelines.