Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reaffirmed his commitment to the ideals of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that at this critical moment in Nigeria’s history, the party must choose not just a candidate, but a proven leader with the competence, courage, experience, and national reach to confront the country’s deepening challenges.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the ADC was founded on the principles of transparency, accountability, inclusion, and democratic renewal, stressing that the decision before delegates goes beyond politics and amounts to a historic responsibility.
“At a time when Nigeria is bleeding from every pore—crippled by economic hardship, insecurity, rising debt, institutional failure, and growing despair—the question before the ADC is simple: who has the capacity not merely to campaign, but to govern effectively from day one? This is not a season for political experimentation. Nigeria cannot afford a learning-on-the-job presidency,” the statement read.
Atiku argued that leading a complex and struggling federation requires tested judgment, executive discipline, economic literacy, and the ability to build bridges across regions, religions, and political divides. He said Nigeria needs a president who understands governance as practical responsibility, not abstract theory—someone capable of managing crises, building coalitions, and driving a clear path to economic recovery and national renewal.
He maintained that elections are not won on social media enthusiasm alone, adding that governance is not performance or improvisation. Atiku pointed to his tenure as Vice President during what he described as one of Nigeria’s most reform-driven economic periods, saying it reflects the kind of experience needed to steer the country forward. He referenced key policies from that era, including economic reforms, privatisation initiatives, fiscal discipline, and debt relief efforts, describing them as outcomes of deliberate leadership and governance capacity.
He urged ADC delegates to look beyond sentiment and focus on electability and readiness to govern. “The ADC must present its strongest, most credible, most prepared candidate—not merely its loudest,” he said.
Atiku further warned that defeating an incumbent government requires strategy, national acceptability, and the ability to unify diverse political interests into a winning coalition. He concluded by urging delegates to make a choice anchored on competence and readiness to lead, insisting that Nigeria deserves “rescue, not rhetoric.”
