I’ll support whoever emerges ADC presidential candidate — Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that he will throw his full weight behind whoever emerges as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential flagbearer ahead of the 2027 general elections, signalling a striking departure from his historically dominant posture as a perennial front-runner.

Speaking in an interview with DW Hausa, Atiku said the number of presidential aspirants within the ADC was manageable compared to his experience in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he had faced a crowded field.

“We will support and endorse whoever emerges as the flagbearer. How many are we — three or four? In the PDP, more than ten of us contested,” he said.

The former Vice-President also dismissed concerns that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could derail the party’s momentum, describing the electoral body’s recent decision to disengage from the ADC’s leadership and boycott its national convention scheduled for April 14 as an overreach driven by vested interests.

INEC had, on Wednesday, announced it would cease communication with all ADC leadership factions and would not monitor the planned convention, citing a court ruling. The ADC rejected the interpretation, vowed to proceed with the convention, and accused the commission of acting beyond the scope of the ruling.

Atiku insisted that the party’s growing national appeal had made it a target. “Vested interests are behind the party’s current situation,” he said, adding that the ADC’s rising popularity had unsettled those invested in the status quo.

On the party’s youth agenda, Atiku was emphatic, describing the ADC as a generational movement in the making. “The youths have taken over the party. Most of those seeking elective positions — from councillor to state assembly, national assembly and House of Representatives — are young people. We have always said our party belongs to youths and women. Our role is to create the opportunity and hand it over to them,” he said.

Asked directly whether he could support a younger presidential candidate, he was characteristically candid. “Yes, why not. Allah has done everything for me. I have brought my sons and grandchildren home. What will be their future and that of their children?” he said.

Atiku expressed conviction that the Nigerian electorate was primed for a political reset, pointing to deepening economic hardship and a deteriorating security situation as the driving forces behind what he described as a groundswell of public anger.

“We are confident that Nigerians are yearning for change. They are ready for it. They are being pushed to the wall and are prepared to do even more than they did in the previous elections,” he said.

He traced the roots of the country’s worsening insecurity — particularly across the northern states — to a toxic combination of mass youth unemployment and a collapsing education system.

“Insecurity is more severe in the northern states, largely due to youth unemployment and lack of access to education. When you go round the region, you see that education is not receiving the attention it deserves. It has been relegated. Governments have not ensured that children enrol in school, and even when they graduate, there are no jobs or business opportunities. I have never witnessed a period like this in Nigeria,” he said.

The former Vice-President also levelled a direct accusation of institutional corruption against the current administration, alleging that government complicity had allowed graft to thrive unchecked.

“There is also embezzlement on the part of government and corruption is rampant. The government has turned a blind eye because it is involved,” he charged.