The presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar is reportedly facing growing internal opposition within the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 elections.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that the National Publicity Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Mark Adebayo, in an interview with Punch confirmed that resistance against Atiku is mounting within the party.
According to sources, southern presidential hopefuls have intensified moves to block his path to securing the party’s ticket.
An ADC chieftain, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also corroborated the development, citing the sensitivity of the situation.
Despite the growing opposition, Adebayo expressed scepticism about the chances of Atiku being edged out of the race.
He suggested that the former vice president remains a formidable contender in the contest for the party’s presidential ticket.
The ADC chieftain stated, “I am aware that there is a growing storm within the ADC, especially among southern aspirants who are trying to strike deals with northern heavyweights such as Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and even Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna). Their aim is to secure substantial delegate votes from the North and combine them with their support base in the South in a bid to challenge Atiku.
“Peter Obi is said to be working in that direction, while Rotimi Amaechi is also consulting widely to secure the backing of influential northern politicians within the ADC, hoping to split Atiku’s delegate votes in their favour.
“However, Atiku is also working round the clock. He positioned himself strongly within the ADC long ago, and the party’s existing structure appears to favour him at the moment.
“That said, party leaders will play a decisive role in the coming weeks through meetings, consultations, and efforts to reach a consensus. However, such a consensus may fail, given that some of the personalities involved are not known for stepping down easily for others. All indications, therefore, point to the ADC eventually conducting direct primaries. That is the situation as it stands.”
The CUPP spokesperson, in his view, stated that even delegates from the South-East were likely to support Atiku in the ADC primary, adding that Obi had made an error by joining the coalition.
Adebayo stated, “The simple truth is that they formed this coalition movement, but the reality is that Obi is looking for a bulwark against Atiku’s influence in the ADC so that there can be some kind of northern sympathy to support him at the party’s primary.
“But that alliance is still going to fail. It is not going to work because Atiku is deeply entrenched in the ADC. For me, Kwankwaso’s political influence is limited and not too strong outside Kano.”
