Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has firmly rejected calls for presidential aspirants within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to step down in favour of Peter Obi, insisting that no contender in the coalition will withdraw for another.
Atiku’s stance was outlined in a statement released on Tuesday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, amid growing pressure from Obi’s supporters, popularly known as Obidients. The calls intensified following remarks by Obi’s allies, including Professor Pat Utomi and activist Aisha Yesufu, who ruled out the possibility of Obi accepting a vice-presidential role within the coalition.
Dismissing any suggestion that he should step aside, Atiku warned that such demands pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic process. He described them as attempts that undermine pluralism and weaken opposition politics.
“Any call—whether open or subtle—for Atiku to ‘step aside’ amounts to a betrayal of the Nigerian people and a concession to authoritarian ambitions,” the statement declared.
The former vice president also accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of deliberately narrowing democratic space and weakening opposition parties in pursuit of what he described as a gradual slide toward a one-party state.
“For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the most difficult periods in recent memory, marked by harsh economic policies and the steady erosion of democratic freedoms,” the statement said, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has systematically pressured opposition forces to eliminate viable political alternatives.
According to Atiku, the ADC emerged as a coalition platform to resist this trend and present Nigerians with a credible option ahead of future elections. He claimed that figures linked to the Presidency are now seeking to destabilise the party by meddling in its internal affairs, particularly the process of selecting a presidential flagbearer.
Describing the ADC as being on a “national rescue mission,” Atiku stressed that the party is committed to an open, transparent, and competitive selection process. He warned that external actors and alleged APC proxies had no right to interfere, intimidate, or sabotage the party’s democratic resolve.
He added that the ADC is currently focused on strengthening its grassroots structures nationwide and called on what he termed “disruptors and infiltrators” to allow the party’s internal processes to proceed unhindered.
Reaffirming his position, Atiku said all qualified aspirants would be free to contest when the time comes, declaring unequivocally that no one would step down for another.
He concluded by arguing that if anyone should step aside, it should be President Tinubu, whom he described as a “national liability,” adding that the ADC remains determined to challenge the ruling party and bring an end to what he called the misrule of the Tinubu-led APC.