Plot to destabilise ADC will fail —Atiku

•APC won’t choose for our party

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said on Tuesday that the plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the African Democratic Congress (ADC) towards the 2027 general election would fail, as he said the APC would not be allowed to decide for the ADC in its choice of presidential candidate for the election.

Atiku also said on Tuesday that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was fast becoming a threat to Nigeria’s democracy, adding that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had imposed the harshest rule on the country in history.

In a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, titled “Nigeria’s Democracy Under Siege: Opposition Faces Existential Threat”, Atiku said that the opposition was already facing existential threat under the APC administration.

According to the former number two man in the country, Nigerians have in the last three years endured a punishing economic regime imposed by the Tinubu administration.

He said: “For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the harshest periods in recent history, an era defined by punishing economic policies and shrinking democratic space under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

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The statement added that the Tinubu administration has not only inflicted widespread hardship on Nigerians, but it has also been pursuing “a calculated effort to eliminate political alternatives.”

“The objective is clear: a creeping, de facto one-party state,” it read.

Atiku stated that the Tinubu administration’s most disturbing achievement remained what he called the systematic weakening of opposition parties, which he said has left the ruling APC standing, by default and not on merit.

The statement read: “Thankfully, patriotic leaders saw this danger early and chose resistance over silence by rallying around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the nucleus of a credible national alternative.

“Predictably, agents aligned with the Presidency are now attempting to destabilise the ADC from the outside, issuing reckless prescriptions about its internal affairs, particularly the choice of a presidential candidate.”

The former vice president said that leaders of the opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), would resist destabilisation attempts by the APC, adding that the party was on rescue mission.

“Let it be stated plainly: the ADC is on a national rescue mission. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside other committed patriots, is central to this effort. Any call ”overt or covert” for Atiku to step aside is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people,” the statement said.

It further read in part: “The ADC has consistently affirmed its commitment to an open, transparent, and competitive process for selecting its flagbearer. APC proxies and external meddlers have no standing to intimidate, blackmail, or sabotage this democratic resolve.

“At present, the ADC is focused on building strong ward, local government, and state structures nationwide. Disruptors and infiltrators must allow the party to do this essential work without interference.

“The party remains open and welcoming to all genuine opposition figures. This inclusiveness, not coercion, is the soul of democracy.

“When the time comes, all qualified aspirants will present themselves freely. No one is stepping down. If anyone should step aside, it is President Tinubu, whose leadership has become a national liability.

“The recent public declaration of ADC membership by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in Enugu, the political heartbeat of the South-east, triggered open boasts by a serving minister and presidential aides about plans to undermine the party. Their fear is evident.

“Let there be no ambiguity: the ADC is determined to end the misfortune imposed by the Tinubu-led APC. No amount of intimidation, intrigue, or sabotage will derail this rescue mission.

“Nigeria will not surrender its democracy without a fight.”