Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar threw down the gauntlet to African Democratic Congress (ADC) delegates on Sunday, urging them to prioritize competence and national reach over sentiments and social media popularity as they prepare to select a presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Atiku criticized social media enthusiasm as an insufficient test for the presidency, stressing that the party field its strongest candidate to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said that with Nigeria mired in economic misery, huge debts, insecurity, and institutional disintegration, the ADC cannot afford to nominate an inexperienced candidate.
“This is not a season for political experimentation. Nigeria cannot afford a learning-on-the-job presidency,” he declared.
Without identifying any opponents, the former vice president took a direct shot at the tide of enthusiasm around certain candidates, emphasizing that presidential elections are determined by structures, strategy, and governing capacity, not digital noise.
“Elections are not won on social media enthusiasm alone. Governance is not performance art. The presidency is not a platform for improvisation. The ADC must present to Nigerians its strongest, most credible, most prepared candidate — not merely its loudest,” he said.
Atiku highlighted the decision before ADC delegates as one that goes beyond ordinary political calculations, citing it as a historic obligation given the gravity of Nigeria’s current dilemma.
He said; “At a time when Nigeria is bleeding from every pore — crippled by economic hardship, insecurity, rising debt, institutional failure, and deepening hopelessness — the question before the ADC is simple: who has the capacity not merely to campaign, but to govern effectively from day one?”
Atiku noted that the moment calls for a leader who has “negotiated globally, created jobs through enterprise, managed national crises, built coalitions, and consistently articulated a practical roadmap for economic recovery and national renewal.”
