Former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has vowed that his party will protect votes during the 2027 general elections, insisting that what he described as the shortcomings of the 2023 presidential election would not happen again.
Atiku made the declaration on Wednesday in Sokoto during the official flag-off of his 2027 presidential campaign, where he addressed a large gathering of supporters and party leaders at the ADC state secretariat.
The former vice president urged Nigerians to come out in large numbers to participate in the election and ensure that their votes count from the polling units to the final declaration of results.
“I appeal to all our supporters to come out and vote. Vote massively and protect your votes and make sure your vote is counted and announced. We will not allow what happened in the last elections to happen anymore,” Atiku said.
The ADC presidential candidate’s comments came as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with issues surrounding electoral credibility, economic hardship and insecurity expected to dominate campaigns ahead of the polls.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has repeatedly raised concerns about the conduct of the last general election, while the ruling authorities have maintained that the election was credible.
Speaking further at the campaign flag-off, Atiku promised that an ADC-led administration would focus on improving security, reviving the economy and creating conditions for Nigerians to regain economic stability.
He said his government would restore fuel subsidy to reduce the impact of rising living costs, reopen land borders to boost legitimate trade and tackle insecurity across the country.
“One of our promises is to make sure that security is restored in every part of this country. Secondly, we will ensure our borders are open to legitimate trade with our partners because we are all on the same side. All our families are inter-connected.
“We are also promising to return wealth to the people, to all the people, to everybody in this country,” Atiku stated.
The ADC candidate also accused the Sokoto State Government of attempting to frustrate the campaign flag-off, but said the event went ahead due to what he described as the determination of Nigerians.
“The state government never wanted this event to hold, but by the grace of God, we are here today. This is a great party and a great force in West Africa,” he said.
Earlier, ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, said the large turnout of supporters during the campaign event showed growing dissatisfaction with the current administration.
Mark, who said the crowd from the airport to the campaign venue demonstrated the party’s popularity in Sokoto, argued that Nigerians were seeking political change because of economic challenges and insecurity.
“When I saw the mammoth crowd from the airport to this venue, I began to ask myself, ordinarily, it should not be more than 20 minutes drive from the airport to the town but because of the crowd we ended up spending almost 4 good hours to reach the campaign venue,” Mark said.
“Honestly, if I were in government, I would also be afraid with this number of supporters.”
He added that the reception showed the popularity of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and ADC governorship candidate in the state, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’Iya.
The campaign flag-off, which was held under heavy security presence, attracted ADC leaders and supporters, including Tambuwal, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, Dan’Iya and other members of the party’s coalition structure.
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