The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed as false the report that southern stakeholders within the party asked former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to drop his 2027 presidential ambition in favour of a southern candidate.
On Tuesday evening, a flurry of reports claimed that leaders from southern Nigeria held a closed-door meeting with Abubakar and urged him to step down from his presidential bid. According to the reports, the former vice president was said to have rejected the plea.
According to The Cable, Atiku was quoted as saying, “I will not be pressured into abandoning my constitutional right to aspire. Let every qualified member test their popularity through a credible primary. Zoning must not be used to silence competence.”
However, speaking with TheCable on Tuesday night, ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the story as “completely unfounded,” stressing that no such meeting had taken place.
Abdullahi stated, “Nobody is having any such conversation. We are completely focused on building the party ahead of 2027.”
He maintained that the ADC’s priority is developing a strong, credible political platform, rather than being distracted by unverified political gossip.
A source close to Atiku also rubbished the report, questioning the credibility of the alleged meeting.
The source said, “Who chaired the meeting? Where did it take place? Who and who were in attendance? It is fake and propaganda.”
The insider added that reacting to the report would only serve to validate a baseless claim.
“Trying to respond is tantamount to validating a nonsense,” he added.
The source further alleged that the story was sponsored by allies of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in a bid to sow discord within the opposition movement.