A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led administration of working covertly to derail former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s political plans within the party.

According to him, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) fears Atiku’s candidacy in the 2027 presidential election and is sponsoring internal unrest in the ADC to weaken its ranks.

The chieftain who spoke with Sunday Punch said, “The only person they (Presidency) are scared of is Atiku Abubakar. They don’t want him on the ballot. That is why they are doing everything to infiltrate the ranks of the ADC and cause unnecessary tension within the party.”

He alleged that the APC’s ultimate goal is to secure a “free ride” in 2027.

He further stated, “What Tinubu and his supporters want is a free ride to the 2027 election, and that is why they are scared of Atiku. What they don’t know is that the elections will be between Nigerians and the APC. Having gone through avoidable pains in the past two years, Nigerians know exactly what they want in 2027, and no amount of intimidation can make them back out of their resolve to vote out the incompetent APC.”

The source also claimed the Presidency does not view former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as a serious threat, noting that internal dynamics in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly the influence of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, would make it difficult for Obi to secure the party’s ticket if he returned.

“They want Peter Obi and other southerners to run because they know that Bola Tinubu will be the strongest candidate of them all, if Atiku is not on the ballot. They are wooing Peter Obi to PDP, but there is no way the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, will allow Obi to have the party’s ticket,” he stated.

APC Planning To Destabilise Opposition – Abdullahi

Speaking separately with Sunday Punch, the ADC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of attempting to destabilise opposition coalitions to smooth its path to victory in 2027.

He vowed that the ADC would resist any sponsored attacks against its leadership.

“The task of sweeping away the APC-led government in 2027 must be done,” Abdullahi declared.

The ADC has been embroiled in internal disputes since David Mark replaced Ralph Nwosu as National Chairman, with some former state chairmen openly criticising the transition process.

When asked if the APC was behind the protests against the Mark-led leadership, Abdullahi said, “We have repeatedly maintained this. All these things you see have become an enterprise. They hold press conferences to say they are challenging the leadership of David Mark. This has become a good business for them.

“They are wasting their resources and their time. We know the people behind this. It is either that the people are sponsoring them, or they are holding the press conferences to attract attention from those who will give them money. For us, we are not bothered about this. They should continue to entertain themselves.”