The African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate has been generating controversies among Nigerians, even though there are many months before the next general election.
ADC, irrelevant to many Nigerians a few years ago, was made popular by the political bigwigs in the opposition camp. The powerful politicians, including Peter Obi, a former Anambra State Governor, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, and Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past Kaduna State Governor, adopted it as the major opposition party to challenge the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
While the coalition has made it clear that it is on a mission to rescue Nigerians from the abject poverty they are subjected to by the APC administration, Nigerians are yet to find out who will be the ADC 2027 presidential candidate.
As a result of this, emotions are flying in the Nigerian media space. The supporters of Peter Obi, popularly referred to as ‘Obidients’, urged the coalition to give their principal the ticket. Those rooting for Atiku Abubakar, on the other hand, want interested candidates to test their popularity at the party’s primary election.
“Don’t Intimidate, Harass Others” – Atiku’s Media Adviser To Obi Supporter
A Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe recently urged a popular supporter of Peter Obi to stop intimidating others. He claimed that Obi’s emergence as the ADC 2027 presidential candidate can not be achieved by intimidation.
According to him, tickets are not given, they are contested for. They are not earned by threats and crises, but by persuasion and consensus.
Mr. Ibe stated this while reacting to a post on X by @firstladyship who said the coalition must give Obi the presidential ticket.
In the post, she said: “I WILL ONLY SAY IT ONCE: If Coalition fail to give Peter Obi their ticket, I & the millions that voted WISELY will bail.”
“The Constitution of Nigeria assigned no specific roles to a Vice President.
“THIS IS 2025! Nigerians want the best man for the job,” she added.
Reacting to the post, the Media Adviser to the former Vice President said: “It is a fundamental dictate of democracy for the minority to have their say and majority to have their way.”
Added that “tickets are not given. They are contested for. Tickets are not earned by threats. They are earned by persuasion. Tickets are not earned through crisis. They are earned by consensus.”
He said the act of intimidating others to achieve one’s political goals and ambition is undemocratic.
“It is within your democratic rights to pitch for a candidate of your choice. But it is anti-democratic to threaten, intimidate, harass others, who are also entitled to canvass for the interest of their own preferred candidates,” he stated.
Speaking further, he urged Peter Obi supporters to start building a consensus and not a conflict around their candidate.
Obidients Free To Support Obi, I Have Right To Back Atiku — Dele Momodu
Amid the heated argument on who should be the ADC 2027 presidential candidate, Dele Momodu has made his position known. The publisher of Ovation magazine declared his support for Atiku Abubakar, stating that he has the right to do so.
He added that Obidients are also free to support Peter Obi. Therefore, nobody should intimidate anybody over the choice of the candidate for the ADC 2027 presidential ticket.
“My best choice is Atiku. And that is what I expect Obidients to say, which I expect those who support Amaechi to say,” he said during an interview on Channels Television.
According to him, politics is a game of numbers and the Northerners have the numbers to defeat President Tinubu. Therefore, Atiku will be a better choice to contest against the President than the former Anambra Governor.
“This game is a game of numbers, and the people who are most aggrieved today are in the northern part of Nigeria,” he said.
Speaking further, he added that “let all Obidients campaign for Obi, let those Atikulates campaign for Atiku and let the Amaechis campaign for Amaechi. That is my belief.”
Similar to Mr. Momodu’s opinion, Prince Henry Nwazuruahu Shield, a long-term supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, insist that Obi must contest at the ADC primary election.
He said the winner of the primary election will be the party’s presidential candidate. Therefore, the supporters of the former Anambra Governor should stop intimidating and harassing others over their political choice.
“Let Me State It Clearly. No One Will Blackmail The ADC To Choose Anyone As Its Presidential Candidate.
“Every Aspirant will go to the primaries and fight it out there. Whoever Wins is OUR CANDIDATE,” he posted while replying to a post on X.
