2027: Atiku will not be an absentee President, ADC’s PCC assures Nigerians

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has assured Nigerians that its presidential candidate and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will provide a physically present and responsive presidency when elected and sworn into office on May 29, 2027.

The Council said Atiku would not be an “absentee President” who is unavailable when the challenges confronting Nigerians require a presidential attention.

This was contained in a statement on Monday by the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.

Ologbondiyan gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Atiku Unity Movement (AUM), led by its leader, Hon. Francis Eburuwe.

He pointed out that Atiku had consistently demonstrated an understanding of Nigeria’s economic and social challenges and had proposed policy interventions aimed at addressing them.

Ologbondiyan recalled that during the 2023 presidential campaign, Atiku advocated a phased approach to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the process should not impose excessive pressure on Nigerians, stressing that contemporary reports from the 2023 campaign also documented that position.

According to him, the experience of the past three years has reinforced the need for a presidency that is accessible, responsive and capable of taking timely decisions in the national interest.His words, “The country needs a President who understands the challenges confronting Nigerians and is physically available to respond to the demands of governance.

“Nigeria cannot afford a situation in which there is uncertainty over who is effectively directing the affairs of government at critical moments. The country requires firm and focused leadership,” he said.

Ologbondiyan said Atiku’s commitment to governance would be anchored on confronting the nation’s economic difficulties, improving the welfare of citizens and restoring confidence in public institutions.

He also said the ADC presidential candidate’s recent economic proposals were focused on reducing the burden of rising energy and living costs.

Atiku has publicly proposed a production-based intervention for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, with a fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits.

Earlier, the leader of the Atiku Unity Movement (AUM) delegation, Hon. Francis Eburuwe, said the group was fully committed to the Atiku project and determined to mobilise Nigerians around what he described as the need for a change in the country’s political direction.

Eburuwe said the movement would take the message of Atiku’s candidacy to Nigerians across the country, expressing confidence that an Atiku administration would address the challenges facing the nation and improve the welfare of citizens.

He pledged the movement’s support for the ADC presidential campaign and called on its members to remain committed to grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.