FORMER vice president Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday, May 20, appeared before the presidential Screening Panel of his party – the African Democratic Party (ADC)
Abubakar, who seeks to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election, presented his credentials and blueprint for governance to the panel.
He appeared before the panel with party stalwarts and allies, including former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, and former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami.
The ICIR reports that Abubakar is seeking Nigeria’s highest political office for the seventh time. His last attempt was in 2023 when he contested on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him a runner-up in the poll.
In a statement reportedly issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, after appearing before the screening panel on Wednesday, Abubakar said the nation could not continue on the current trajectory of insecurity, unemployment, gloom, and hardship.
He decried misgovernance, rising poverty and mismanagement of resources and other ills mitigating against the nation, promising to create jobs, expand investments and make Nigeria an investment destination.
“At this defining moment in our national life, Nigeria does not need experiments. It needs tested leadership, clarity of vision, and the courage to make difficult but necessary decisions in the national interest,” he said.
His appearance before the committee came barely 24 hours after the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) cleared the former Anambra State governor Peter Obi as its sole candidate to contest the 2027 presidential election after successfully completing the party’s screening process.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate arrived at the venue on Tuesday evening alongside party chieftain Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central in the National Assembly.
The screening exercise was conducted by a committee led by former minister of education, Sam Egwu.
Speaking after the exercise, Egwu said the committee was pleased with Obi’s outing during the screening, adding that he responded satisfactorily to all questions asked by the panel.
Following the exercise, the committee officially presented Obi with his clearance letter as well as the party’s nomination form carrying the number 001.
Obi defected from the ADC to NDC recently after planned consensus candidate failed, leaving Abubakar and former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as major contenders for the ADC’s presidential ticket.
The former Anambra governor defected to the NDC with former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, widely believed to be his running mate in the 2027 election.