There is no automatic presidential ticket for any aspirant in 2027, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) clarified yesterday.
According to the party, while the consensus option would be adopted in selecting the standard bearer, members would resort to open, competitive and transparent primary, if the option fails.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke on a national television, noted the growing speculation, intrigues, coalition negotiations and the defection of prominent politicians from other parties to the ADC.
However, he said that no decision has been taken on who will fly the presidential ticket, adding that all aspirants are eligible.
Abdullahi stressed: “No conversation is going on at the moment about who will be the standard bearer or who will be running mate to who. Every single issue has not been resolved regarding who will fly the flag of the party in 2027.”
Already, two chieftains, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who joined the party last week, are believed to be eyeing the ticket.
Although the Atiku camp has maintained silence on his ambition, members of the Obedient Movement, who are Obi’s followers, declared yesterday that he would not play the second fiddle.
The National Coordinator, Dr Yinusa Tanko, said Obi is the leading aspirant who will never accept to be running mate to anybody in the party.
Consensus, primary on front burner
The Publicity Secretary said that when the time comes, the first option would be consensus, driven by the need to build a broad-based and winning coalition.
He added: “But when that time comes, we are going to have a position, and our first recourse will be to try to engineer a measure of consensus based on the challenges that we have ahead of us. We are building a coalition, and we are building a winning coalition.”
Abdullahi said if consensus proves impossible, the party would not hesitate to conduct a primary that meet democratic standards.
He said: “If that doesn’t happen, of course, we are going to have competitive primary, and it’s going to be free, it’s going to be open, and it’s going to be transparent, and every Nigerian will see that this is the direction that ADC wants to go, as a party of rules, as a party that is transparent, that obeys its own laws and regulation.”
Bwala, Tanko clash on Obi’s chances
Presidential Adviser on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala and Tanko expressed contrasting views on the Obi’s chances.
While Tanko insisted that the former governor would not accept the offer of running mate, Bwala predicted that the ticket and the running mate slot will elude him.
The presidential aide added that the former governor would eventually contest for president on another platform.
Obi, who ran on the platform of the crisis-ridden Labour Party (LP) in 2023, defected to the ADC last week.
Justifying the defection in Enugu, where he was received into the party by the Interim National Chairman, Senator David Mark, he explained that he was motivated by the quest for national unity.
In its reaction, the Anambra LP said his exit would not weaken the chapter, adding that members would not also miss him.
Obi will get ADC ticket, says Tanko
Tanko, who spoke on a radio programme monitored in Ibadan, Oyo State, dismissed speculations that the ADC is under the influence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying that “everybody that was in that particular coalition contributed their hard-earned momone”
He added: “I am only focusing on my candidate. I’m selling my candidate to the public based on his capacity and credibility and what he has to offer Nigerians. That’s all.”
Tanko said Obi is capable of providing a “moral solution” to the country’s leadership challenges.
He emphasized that Obi’s alignment with the ADC followed extensive consultations, reflecting a people-driven strategy rather than personal ambition.
Tanko stressed: “The decision to align with the ADC came from a conglomerate of diverse groups seeking to correct Nigeria’s problems and reclaim the country for its people.
“When they came together, the ADC was chosen as the political vehicle. Ordinarily, Peter Obi would flow with the people who are calling for him.”
The coordinator said that young Nigerians involved in the process would determine Obi’s political path.
Defending Obi’s nomadic movement in politics, Tanko said structural challenges within the LP necessitated the shift.
He added: “Forces in power deliberately undermined the party’s functionality. If your house is being deliberately set on fire, would you remain inside it? There was a calculated attempt to destroy what was being built.
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