Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied that he is desperate to become Nigeria’s president, stressing that his decision to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was part of a wider mission to build “a better, secure and prosperous Nigeria.”
Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, made this known on Saturday while addressing defectors at a welcome ceremony organised by the ADC in Lagos.
Represented by Professor Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Atiku said his political move should not be interpreted as a personal quest for power but as a collective struggle to reposition the country.
“Atiku Abubakar’s plan is to build a better Nigeria. It is not about him being president at all costs, but about ensuring a government that delivers for Nigerians,” Olateju said on his behalf.
He added that the ADC should not be seen merely as a political party but as a movement of Nigerians determined to chart a new course for national renewal.
“ADC, to us, is not a political party. It is a movement of Nigerians for a better Nigeria. It is no longer politics as usual, but a new beginning,” he added.
The Lagos event witnessed the formal reception of defectors from the PDP, including a member of its Board of Trustees, Dr Abimbola Ogunkelu; former Lagos PDP chairmen, Chief Muritala Ashorobi; and Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd.); the PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos Central), and former Youth Leader, Mr Tai Benedict, among others.
They were received by ADC national leaders, including the party’s National Secretary and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Senator Kolawole Ogunwale, and the Lagos State ADC Chairman, George Ashiru.
Atiku reiterated that the selection of the ADC presidential flag bearer for the 2027 elections would be determined by members through a transparent contest.
“Everybody has a right to contest. We are going to rally round whoever emerges. The point is a better Nigeria, not Atiku for president at all costs, not Obi for president at all costs,” he declared.
Saturday’s event was the latest in a series of dramatic political realignments that began last month when Atiku resigned from the PDP, citing irreconcilable differences with the party’s direction.
Earlier in July, a coalition of opposition leaders, including Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, adopted the ADC as their platform ahead of 2027 after their bid to register a new party, the African Democratic Alliance (ADA), stalled.
The coalition immediately appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim National Chairman and Aregbesola as interim National Secretary, signaling a takeover that some ADC stakeholders later described as a “hostile hijack.” Multiple lawsuits were subsequently filed over the legitimacy of the coalition’s leadership.
Speaking at the Lagos ceremony, Aregbesola warned that Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, inflation, and poverty could threaten national stability if urgent action is not taken.
“There is a limit to how much the people can be squeezed and pushed before something eventually gives,” he said, stressing that the ADC’s mission was to provide Nigerians with a credible political alternative.
He described the influx of politicians and ordinary citizens into the party as evidence of Nigerians’ readiness for a new political directions.
