ADC explains Atiku's absence from G100 opposition summit

The African Democratic Congress has explained why its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was not at the G100 opposition summit in Abuja on Monday.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, said the summit mainly focused on talks among political parties, not presidential candidates.

Abdullahi shared this on Tuesday during a chat on Arise Television’s Day Break.

“The summit, as we understand it, is more about conversation between political parties, rather than conversation among candidates.

“It’s more about exploring cooperation opportunities among political parties. So, it’s not a big deal that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was not there,” he said.

He also mentioned that the ADC was well represented at the summit, noting he attended with four of the party’s vice chairmen.

“I was there, and the party was highly represented. We had like four Vice Chairmen at the G100 Summit. So, ADC was fully represented, and we took part in the process,” he said.

The summit took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. It brought together representatives from six opposition political parties to discuss possible cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

This meeting is part of ongoing efforts by opposition parties to create a common plan to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Yet, Atiku, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi from the Allied Peoples Movement, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde were some of the notable opposition figures missing from the meeting.

Presidential candidates present at the summit included Donald Duke from the Peoples Redemption Party, Adewole Adebayo from the Social Democratic Party, and Moses Adebisi from the Democratic Leadership Alliance.

The ADC spokesperson also mentioned that the party’s involvement in the talks is not based on producing a single presidential candidate with other opposition parties.

“We in the African Democratic Congress are glad to have this conversation, but what we are doing is not dependent on whether we can produce a single presidential candidate.

“We believe that on our own, as the ADC, we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027. But if we can negotiate this cooperation, it makes the job easier,” he said.

Abdullahi pointed out that the fuel subsidy issue might pose an ideological challenge to any proposed opposition coalition. The ADC is committed to its stance on this matter.

He explained that they see the return of subsidy as “the ideological pillar” of their strategy to lower living costs.

“So, that’s a question that the promoters of this grand coalition will have to answer. It will come down to: does the other party, like you mentioned the candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, if he doesn’t believe in the return of subsidy, and we do, then what will be the basis for the merger?

“For us, it is non-negotiable. We are convinced, our economists are working hard, looking at some of the numbers in greater detail than I can provide, I’m not an economist, but for us, it is something we are not backing down on,” he said.

Abdullahi stated that the ADC believes it can work with other opposition figures who share its view on fuel subsidy.

“You’ve heard Olawepo-Hashim saying that he supports subsidy for Nigerians; you’ve heard Sowore saying that he believes in giving subsidy to Nigerians, so, if they all agree, those of us who agree on subsidy, that can be a basis for cooperation,” he said.