Why Atiku skipped G100 opposition summit — ADC

The African Democratic Congress has explained why its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was absent from Monday’s G100 opposition summit in Abuja, saying the meeting was designed primarily for political parties rather than presidential contenders.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, gave the explanation on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Day Break.

According to him, Atiku’s absence should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in the opposition’s efforts to forge cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The summit—the way we understand it, the summit is more about conversation between political parties, rather than conversation among candidates,” Abdullahi said.

“It’s more about exploring cooperation opportunities among political parties. So, it’s not consequential that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was not present.”

He said the ADC was fully represented at the meeting, noting that he attended alongside four of the party’s vice chairmen.

“I was there, the party was highly represented—we had like four Vice Chairmen there at the G100 Summit. So, ADC was fully represented, and we participated in the process,” he said.

The summit, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, brought together representatives of six opposition parties to explore possible areas of collaboration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The discussions centred on developing a framework through which opposition parties could coordinate their efforts against the ruling All Progressives Congress.

However, several prominent opposition figures, including Atiku, Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi, Allied Peoples Movement representatives and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, were absent.

The meeting was attended by presidential candidates including Peoples Redemption Party’s Donald Duke, Social Democratic Party’s Adewole Adebayo and Democratic Leadership Alliance’s Moses Adebisi.

Abdullahi said the ADC was willing to negotiate with other opposition parties but would not make its participation conditional on the emergence of a single presidential candidate.

“We in the African Democratic Congress, we are happy to have this conversation, but everything we are doing is not dependent on whether we are able to produce a single presidential candidate,” he said.

He maintained that the ADC was confident of defeating President Bola Tinubu independently but believed cooperation with other opposition parties could improve its chances.

“We are saying that on our own, as the ADC, we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027. But if we are able to negotiate this cooperation, then it makes the job easier,” he said.

However, Abdullahi identified the contentious issue of fuel subsidy as a potential stumbling block in negotiations with other opposition parties.

He said the ADC considered the restoration of subsidy a key component of its strategy for reducing the economic burden on Nigerians.

“So, for us, it is non-negotiable,” he said, arguing that any proposed opposition alliance would have to address differences among parties over the policy.

Abdullahi said the ADC’s position could provide common ground with opposition figures who also support subsidies, citing Olawepo-Hashim and Omoyele Sowore as examples.

“You’ve heard Olawepo-Hashim saying that he believes in subsidy, giving subsidy to Nigerians; you’ve heard Sowore saying that he believes in giving subsidy to Nigerians—so, if they all agree, those of us who agree on subsidy, that can be a basis for cooperation,” he said.