A faction of Nigeria’s African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by its National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, has demanded that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar stop presenting himself as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Nafiu says Atiku Abubakar “is not and has never been” the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections. The faction also issues a seven-day ultimatum for Atiku to tender a public apology to ADC members and stakeholders for what it describes as unauthorized statements made on behalf of the party. Nafiu warns that failure to comply within the timeframe would prompt the faction to seek legal redress.
The statement further calls on Atiku to refrain from using the ADC name, logo, and emblem to spread what the faction characterizes as falsehoods and misinformation. In addition, Nafiu urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove from its portal the names of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) associated with a David Mark-led group, and to upload and recognize what he describes as the only authentic NWC following a recent court judgment. The faction cites the judgment as directing INEC to withdraw recognition from the David Mark-led NWC and invalidate actions taken by that committee.
