Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has cautioned that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is not genuinely interested in a southern presidency in 2027. Instead, he alleged, Atiku is manipulating political narratives to position himself as the only viable presidential candidate.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Kachikwu asserted that Atiku is misleading the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, into believing he alone can secure the majority of northern votes necessary to win a national election. According to Kachikwu, this strategy is purely self-serving and undermines calls for power rotation to the South.
“Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s history clearly shows he doesn’t believe anyone from southern Nigeria deserves to be president,” Kachikwu said.
“If Atiku genuinely seeks a better Nigeria, he should publicly declare that equity demands the presidency remain in the South for the next six years and back any southern candidate of his choice. But he won’t, because this is all about his ambition.”
Kachikwu described recent political gatherings by Atiku’s allies as staged events designed to create the false impression of mass defections to the ADC. He accused “charlatans” within the coalition of selling out the party’s founding principles for personal gain.
Highlighting Atiku’s political history, Kachikwu noted:
Atiku nearly blocked President Olusegun Obasanjo’s second term out of personal ambition.
He opposed former President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, from retaining power.
Despite the North holding power under President Buhari for eight years, Atiku still insisted on being the PDP flag bearer in the 2023 elections.
Kachikwu emphasized that the ADC remains firmly committed to fresh leadership and new ideas, not a recycled political elite.
“The ADC is not for sale and is not an old people’s home,” he stressed.
“Nigeria needs fresh faces and fresh ideas. This ongoing political war among the old guard is not our fight.”
He concluded by affirming that the ADC’s mission is to put Nigeria and Nigerians first, rejecting the politics of personal ambition and elite compromise.
