ADC has no preferred presidential candidate for 2027, says Bolaji Abdullahi

Bolaji Abdullahi, interim national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says the party is not being structured to serve the ambition of any individual.

Abdullahi spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the third plenary session of the Northern Political Consultative Group (NPCG), with the theme: ‘Peace and social cohesion: A panacea to challenges of the north’.

He said the ADC has not entered into any discussions about who will emerge as its presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We don’t have any favourite aspirants or candidates. We are not having any conversation at the moment,” he said.

“Nobody has ever had any conversation about who will be the party’s flag bearer.

“We believe that it is too early in the day. Our focus now is to build a political party that is strong enough to deliver on the mission that we have set for ourselves.”

The former minister said the party is focused on creating a new political culture that prioritises national interest over personal ambition.

“You see, the process for the building of the party ensures that the party does not coalesce around any individual,” he said.

“And like I repeatedly emphasised, the ADC is not built for anybody’s ambition. ADC is a party that is determined to give a different trajectory to Nigerian politics. We don’t have any predetermined agenda.”

On efforts to woo serving governors, Abdullahi said the ADC is open to everyone, but noted that many governors are facing political pressure.

“No serving governor would be willing to cross over because of the intimidation that they are facing,” he said.

“We know what they are doing to them. Some of them who cannot jump to their party are saying we are endorsing their presidential candidate. No problem. But what you are seeing is a conspiracy against the Nigerian people.

“The ADC welcomes everybody, but we are convinced that we are a movement that has the backing of the majority of Nigerians who are not happy with the direction this country is going.”