By Simeon OSAJIE
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has ruled out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The party’s NEC also dismissed reports of an alleged agreement to adopt Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate, describing the claim as “a lie from the pit of hell.”
Don Norman Obinna, Abia State Chairman of the ADC and spokesperson for the ADC NEC Chairmen Forum, said the party’s position was firmly anchored in a recent court judgment that nullified the congresses and convention conducted by the Senator David Mark-led interim National Working Committee (NWC).
Obinna maintained that the court ruling had significant implications for the leadership structure and decisions of the party, including any purported arrangement to field Atiku as its presidential candidate in 2027.
According to Obinna, the NEC would not abandon the judgment or compromise its legal position to accommodate any political arrangement involving Atiku.
‘We Are Not a Faction’
Addressing party members and journalists, Obinna rejected attempts to portray the group as a faction of the ADC, insisting that it represents the legitimate National Executive Committee of the party.
He stressed that the NEC remains the highest decision-making organ of the ADC and cannot be dismissed as a faction or treated as a group negotiating on behalf of an individual.
“You must have heard some section of the media push this false narrative by addressing us as a faction of the African Democratic Congress,” Obinna said.
“We are members of the ADC National Executive Committee. The NEC of the ADC is the highest decision-making organ of the ADC.
“Therefore, it is an insult for anyone to say that we are conciliatory to an individual or even describe us as a faction.”
ADC Crisis: NEC Rejects Atiku Option
Obinna traced the current crisis in the ADC to the alleged transfer of control of the party by its founding chairman, Ralph Nwosu, to Senator David Mark.
He alleged that the Mark-led leadership subsequently conducted congresses and a national convention in violation of the party’s constitution, a process that the NEC challenged in court.
According to Obinna, the legal battle culminated in a judgment delivered on April 28 by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which he said nullified the congresses and convention conducted by the disputed National Working Committee.
He further stated that the judgment imposed a perpetual injunction against the opposing committee and was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal. But despite the court pronouncements, Obinna said the NEC had been confronted with reports of negotiations allegedly aimed at persuading it to abandon the judgment and accept Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
“We heard that they have given them assurance that everything is under control, that they will do everything within their means to ensure that we jettison our court judgment and adopt him as our presidential candidate going forward,” he said.
“Well, I want to say again that this is a lie from the pit of hell. We did not send anybody or group to bargain on our behalf as we speak right now.”
Obinna argued that the judgment had effectively invalidated the process through which the disputed leadership could produce a presidential candidate for the party.
“It simply means that the judgment of the Federal High Court, which was upheld by this Appeal Court, will stand.
“In other words, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is not our presidential candidate.
“I don’t know the reason the media try to force this man down our throat.”
‘We Won’t Sacrifice Our Judgment for Atiku’
The ADC NEC spokesperson said there would be no compromise on the court judgment simply to accommodate Atiku.
“On no account are we going to sacrifice our court judgment to massage his ego,” Obinna declared.
“If he had wanted this so badly as he wants Nigerians to believe, he had every opportunity that time to wade into the matter as an elder statesman. But he failed to do that; rather, he took sides.”
His comments effectively shut the door, for now, on any possibility of an agreement between the NEC and the Atiku camp over the ADC’s 2027 presidential ticket.
ADC Warns INEC Over Court Judgment
The NEC also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of failing to reflect the court judgment on its official portal, warning that the situation was creating uncertainty within the party.
Obinna said the failure was generating anxiety among party members, aspirants and other stakeholders preparing for the 2027 elections.
“Their action is affecting the party negatively and is even creating tension, anxiety among candidates and members of the political party, and this is a shame,” he said.
He warned that the ADC would escalate its protest against INEC if the commission failed to comply with the judgment after the pending stay-of-execution issue had been resolved.
“We are waiting for us to scale the stay of execution hurdle, and once that is done, we will compel INEC to do the right thing,” he said.
“And if they fail to do that, we will be forced to galvanise our members from all the states of the federation, and we are going to protest in front of INEC so that the whole world will see the damage INEC is trying to do to our democracy.”
‘A Big Name’ Coming for 2027
Despite the internal crisis and ongoing legal battle, Obinna insisted that the ADC remained focused on the 2027 general elections and would field a credible presidential candidate.
“We are going to present to Nigerians a credible candidate who will fly the flag of the ADC in the 2027 election,” he said.
He also hinted that the party could unveil a major political figure as its presidential standard-bearer, declaring that “there will be a big name who will fly the ADC presidential flag come 2027 general election.”
The statement is likely to fuel further speculation over the identity of the political heavyweight the NEC has in mind as it positions the ADC for the 2027 presidential contest.
‘The Time for Reconciliation Has Gone’
Obinna further declared that reconciliation with the David Mark-led leadership was no longer an option, accusing the opposing camp of closing the door to compromise.
“The time for reconciliation has gone. You people shut the door for reconciliation yourselves,” he said.
“We will do ourselves a disservice if we jettison our court judgment to go into agreement with you.”
The ADC NEC spokesperson expressed confidence that the outstanding legal issues surrounding the party would be resolved by the first or second week of September.
For now, however, the NEC’s position remains unequivocal: the party will not abandon its legal position to accommodate Atiku Abubakar. Consequently, the ADC’s 2027 presidential ticket remains open to other potential candidates.