The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has maintained that the outcome of the 2027 presidential election will ultimately be determined by the Nigerian electorate, insisting that the views of former President Olusegun Obasanjo or any other individual will not decide the country’s next leader.
The opposition party made the assertion on Monday in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, while responding to recent political debates surrounding comments credited to Obasanjo on the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to the ADC, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has shifted attention to Obasanjo’s remarks instead of addressing pressing national concerns raised by Nigerians and other stakeholders, particularly on the state of the economy, insecurity and the cost of living.
Abdullahi said the party expected the APC to respond to issues highlighted during the recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, rather than engage in political distractions.
“The APC has become obsessed with our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Instead of defending its record after the Catholic Bishops spoke about the state of the nation, it has chosen to use former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments to divert attention from its performance over the last three years,” he stated.
The ADC argued that the ruling party has consistently chosen to attack individuals who raise concerns about governance instead of responding to the substance of their criticisms.
“Whenever respected Nigerians speak about worsening poverty, insecurity, the rising cost of living or the loss of public confidence, the APC does not answer for its record. Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday it was the Catholic Bishops, today it is Atiku Abubakar, tomorrow it will be someone else,” the statement added.
Addressing Obasanjo’s position on Atiku, the ADC acknowledged that the former president was entitled to express his personal opinion but maintained that such views could not diminish the former vice president’s public service record.
The party argued that during the administration in which Atiku served as Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council, Nigeria recorded stronger economic growth, attracted greater investor confidence and experienced a lower cost of living than exists today.
The ADC also challenged the Federal Government to account for what it described as the realities confronting Nigerians, despite official claims of economic progress.
It questioned why food prices remain high, why poverty and unemployment continue to affect millions of citizens, why government borrowing has increased and why insecurity persists across several parts of the country.
The opposition party insisted that these issues, rather than endorsements or criticisms from prominent political figures, would shape voters’ decisions in the 2027 presidential election.
“The 2027 presidential election will not be determined by the opinion of any individual but by the daily realities of over 200 million Nigerians who, today, are poorer, face greater insecurity and are more uncertain about their future than they were before the Tinubu administration came into office,” the statement concluded.
