Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has ruled out the possibility of any presidential aspirant stepping down for another within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), amid growing calls by supporters of Peter Obi, known as Obidients, for aspirants to rally behind the former Anambra State governor.
Atiku’s stance was conveyed in a statement issued on Tuesday, January 6, by his media aide, Paul Ibe. The statement followed remarks by some of Obi’s allies, including Professor Pat Utomi and activist Aisha Yesufu, who dismissed suggestions that Obi should accept a vice-presidential slot within the proposed coalition.
Dismissing demands that he should withdraw in favour of Obi, Atiku warned that such calls pose a threat to Nigeria’s democratic process. He described any attempt to pressure him to step aside as harmful to pluralism and political competition.
According to the statement, “Any call—overt or covert—for Atiku to ‘step aside’ is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people.”
The former vice president also accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of deliberately shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space and undermining opposition parties. He alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was exerting systematic pressure on rival political platforms to weaken alternatives and entrench what he termed a “creeping, de facto one-party state.”
Atiku further noted that Nigerians have faced severe economic and political challenges in recent years, arguing that the current climate underscores the need for a strong, competitive opposition rather than enforced consensus within opposition ranks.
