2027: Atiku, Obi, Amaechi on Collision Course As Tensions Build in ADC

…If Consensus Fails, Primaries Will Resolve Dispute— Abdullahi

By Franklin Adole

A storm is gathering in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as three heavyweight contenders lock horns over the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, with no one showing signs of stepping aside.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party flagbearer Peter Obi, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi have all staked strong claims to the ticket, setting the stage for what insiders describe as the ADC’s fiercest internal battle yet.

Atiku has signaled that while his ambition is not a “do or die” affair, he is determined to run for the 2027 elections, laying to rest insinuations that he might not contest the presidential poll two years from now.
One of the politician’s spokespersons during the 2023 presidential election, Tunde Olusunle, quoted his principal on Sunday night as maintaining that Nigeria needs to be decisively rescued from the ‘intensive care’ unit it has been consigned to under the Bola Tinubu government.
While Obi has promised to serve only one term if elected, Amaechi, however, has taken the hardest line, declaring in Kano that there would be “no retreat, no surrender” in his quest for the ADC ticket. He vowed not to step down for anyone, insisting: “I will contest the ADC presidential primary, and by God’s grace, I hope to win so that I can face Tinubu in 2027. I am not stepping down for anyone. Let the people decide who they want to lead.”

The former Minister of Transportation, who met with a coalition of traders in the North, described the contest as healthy for democracy and insisted that Nigerians were dissatisfied with President Bola Tinubu’s leadership. “Nigerians are tired because no one is happy under Tinubu, not even in Rivers or across the South. He tries to frame it as a North-South contest, but the truth is people are suffering everywhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, sought to calm tensions, making clear that while the party would encourage consensus talks among aspirants, it is fully prepared to conduct a competitive primary election if agreement fails.

“Atiku says he will run, Obi says he will run, Amaechi says he will run, that does not stop anyone else. What we are committed to is a level playing field. We will pursue consensus, and if that fails, we will hold competitive primaries,” Abdullahi told Arise Television.

He stressed that the ADC is not distracted by zoning battles or early declarations, but is focused on building “a fighting structure” nationwide. “For us, our focus now is building a fighting structure, not rushing into zoning conversations,” Abdullahi added.

This brewing storm in the ADC comes as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed President Tinubu from the south as its candidate for the 2027 elections, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.