Former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, has warned the party against allowing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest under its platform in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Kachikwu accused Atiku and his loyalists within the ADC coalition of attempting to hijack the party for personal gain, alleging that they have already begun offering state chairmen up to ₦20 million each to resign their positions.
“This is a man whose history shows he doesn’t believe anyone from the southern part of Nigeria deserves to be president,” Kachikwu said. “He’s trying to deceive Peter Obi into another vice-presidential slot while refusing to declare openly that it’s time for the South to lead.”
He described Atiku’s presidential ambition as selfish and divisive, claiming that it is rooted in a belief that power should remain in one section of the country. “The presidency is not—and will never be—the birthright of any one region,” he said.
Kachikwu blasted the coalition aligned with Atiku as a “political gang” disguising themselves as reformers. “They’re not rescuing Nigeria. They’re trying to rescue themselves from the hardship they helped create,” he declared.
He challenged Atiku to publicly support a southern candidate and affirm that the next presidency should remain in the South for at least six more years. “He will never do it. But we in the ADC are not here to offer shelter to old political desperados.”
Kachikwu also dismissed rumors that he’s a paid spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, saying: “It would be an honour to serve the president of the largest Black nation on earth — but that’s not who I am.”
He warned that political operatives aligned with Atiku have been staging fake decamping ceremonies across the country and paying poor Nigerians to claim allegiance to the ADC. “It’s all optics. They’re manufacturing relevance. They are not ADC.”
Kachikwu insisted that his critics have no legitimate claim to party leadership and cannot buy their way into power. “If your rescue mission is built on fraud, then your character has already been exposed,” he said.
Concluding, he drew a line between the ADC and traditional political circles. “We’re not an old people’s home. We are a party of fresh ideas, fresh faces, and a fresh direction. Nigeria deserves better — not recycled ambition in borrowed clothing.”
