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2027: Atiku delays ADC membership card collection amid rumoured Jonathan comeback

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has put on hold his planned collection of the African Democratic Congress membership card, amid growing speculation that former President Goodluck Jonathan may join the 2027 presidential race and he is being courted by the ADC.

Atiku, who recently resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party after prolonged internal disputes, was scheduled to formalise his defection to ADC with the collection of his membership card.

The membership card would be presented to Atiku by ADC officials at his hometown of Jada, in the Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

However, the ceremony, which was slated for Wednesday, August 6, was postponed indefinitely without an official explanation from the former vice president’s camp.

This is even as a chieftain of ADC that the party had been holding discreet talks with Jonathan over a possible presidential run in 2027.

The ADC Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter, Shehu Yohana, said Atiku’s formal reception into the party had been postponed without a new date.

“I spoke with the former vice president on the phone Friday morning, and he told me he has shifted the event to mid-August, but no specific date was mentioned.

“From the way things are going, due to one issue or the other, the event may get to September.

“He (Atiku) said that he was waiting for some All Progressives Congress governors who are planning to join ADC to decamp before his event in Jada,” Shehu said.

Tension over Atiku, Obi, Jonathan

Meanwhile, a chieftain of ADC at the national level, who did not want his name in print, told Sunday PUNCH that the postponement may not be unconnected with the power tussle between Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.

The party chieftain alleged that the Obi political movement had hijacked ADC structures in the South, a situation, he said, had put Atiku’s presidential ambition under threat.

“From all indications, if things did not work out well for Atiku within few weeks to come, I see him defecting to the Social Democratic Party,” he stated.

The party chieftain added that the suspension of Kaduna State’s former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from SDP stemmed from the fear that Atiku may return and form what he described as a “political cartel” in the SDP.

The various Atiku support groups in the ADC have been pressuring their leaders to exit the party if the crisis persists. This may also not be unconnected with the rumoured planned comeback of ex-President Jonathan for the 2027 presidential election.

A principal member of the ADC said the party had been holding talks with Jonathan to join the party.

“We are talking to him (Jonathan), and we are getting a positive response from him so far. I can assure you that he is not going to contest under the PDP; he knows the problem there. Does he want to wrestle with Wike who has the grip on the party? The former President is a gentleman and a refined politician,” the party chieftain said.

He added: “The leaders of the coalition have met him about three times, and the ex-President appreciates their efforts to rescue the country from the current economic quagmire occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s bad policies. He recalled how he left the country, and things have now gone worse.”

Asked if the former President would be given an automatic presidential ticket, the ADC chieftain said, “When we get to the bridge, we will know how to cross it.”

When contacted for confirmation, the spokesperson for the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, simply said, “ADC is open to everybody and we look forward to having every Nigerian who is ready to rescue the country from this hardship.”

Jonathan’s campaign posters have surfaced on the social media with some pitching him with Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, and ex-governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as running mates.

However, Jonathan’s wife, Patience, declared on May 11 this year that she would not seek a return to the Aso Rock Villa, but support the current First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for the 2027 general elections.

Mrs Jonathan, while accepting the Women Icon Leader of the Year 2025 award from Accolade Dynamics Limited in Abuja, said, “All the way, we are with you (Tinubu). No shaking. We will follow. Direct us, and we will follow. Because there is only one president at a time. We don’t have two presidents.

“I believe in one president. I believe in turn-by-turn. When it’s your turn, I will support you. When it’s not your turn, step back—so that the country can move forward,” she said.

‘Atiku not afraid of Jonathan, Obi’

However, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, insisted that the former vice president is not threatened by the political ambitions of any potential rival, including Jonathan and Obi.

Ibe also dismissed the speculation that Atiku had suspended plans to formally pick up his ADC membership card due to rumoured talks between the party and Jonathan, saying that the process of Atiku’s registration was ongoing and unchanged.

“Nothing has changed; we don’t want to give mischief-makers an opportunity. Atiku Abubakar registered as a member of thw ADC in Jada ward of Jada Local Government Area, Adamawa State, and the process is still on, so nothing has been suspended,” Ibe said.

According to him, Atiku is a democrat who welcomes competition and will not be intimidated by anyone’s decision to run for president.

“Atiku is a democrat, and he cannot be threatened by anyone’s ambition. The beauty of democracy is that the minority will have its say, and then the majority will have its way. There will always be choices.

“Unlike what Tinubu is currently doing, using the instruments of state to lead everybody into a one-party dictatorship, Atiku will not be coming from where he is, where he feels that what Tinubu and the APC are doing is not democratic, and would want to prevent anyone from declaring their ambition,” he added.

Ibe said the former vice president’s priority was to work with other Nigerians of goodwill to provide the country with a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“He (Atiku) will work with other men and women of goodwill to try to give Nigerians an opportunity other than the APC and Tinubu. And then, he will not be threatened or feel threatened or worried because somebody has joined the race or decided to join the race, because all of this is just speculation.

“So, the more the merrier, it is democracy at work. I mean, let people who are throwing their hats into the ring, those who feel that they have something to offer, let them join it.

“Atiku will not feel threatened by anybody deciding on their own volition to join the race. Though we don’t want to give legitimacy to the speculations, Atiku will not be threatened by anyone, either Jonathan or any other person who has decided to join the race. The more the merrier, so that Nigerians can make informed decisions,” Ibe said.

‘Tinubu behind ADC crisis’

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the ADC, who craved anonymity because he did not have the authourisation of the party to speak on its behalf, has accused the President Bola Tinubu government of working behind the scenes to frustrate Atiku’s ADC ambitions.

According to him, the APC is scared of Atiku and has vowed to sponsor all manner of agitations against him and the ADC.

He said, “The only person they (Presidency) are scared of is Atiku Abubakar. They don’t want him on the ballot. That is why they are doing everything to infiltrate the ranks of the ADC and cause unnecessary tension within the party.

“What Tinubu and his supporters want is a free ride to the 2027 election, and that is why they are scared of Atiku. What they don’t know is that the elections will be between Nigerians and the APC. Having gone through avoidable pains in the past two years, Nigerians know exactly what they want in 2027, and no amount of intimidation can make them back out of their resolve to vote out the incompetent APC.”

According to the party chieftain, the Presidency does not see Obi as a threat. He noted that with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, wielding considerable influence in the PDP, Obi might find it difficult to clinch the party’s ticket.

“They want Peter Obi and other southerners to run because they know that Bola Tinubu will be the strongest candidate of them all, if Atiku is not on the ballot. They are wooing Peter Obi to PDP, but there is no way the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, will allow Obi to have the party’s ticket,” he added.

The Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of plotting to destabilise the coalition structure ahead of the 2027 election in a bid to have a smooth electioneering ride.

Abdullahi vowed that the party would resist every form of sponsored attacks against it, noting that the task of sweeping away the APC-led government in 2027 must be done.

Since the change of guard, which saw David Mark replace Ralph Nwosu as ADC National Chairman, the party has known no peace with some ex-state chapter chairmen, criticising the manner in which Mark and his interim executive took over the administration of the party.

Asked if the ruling party was behind the protest against the Mark-led executive, the publicity scribe said, “We have repeatedly maintained this. All these things you see have become an enterprise. They hold press conferences to say they are challenging the leadership of David Mark. This has become a good business for them.

“They are wasting their resources and their time. We know the people behind this. It is either that the people are sponsoring them, or they are holding the press conferences to attract attention from those who will give them money. For us, we are not bothered about this. They should continue to entertain themselves.”

God with ADC – Aregbesola

In a related development, the National Secretary of the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, on Saturday declared that the party’s quest to win the 2026 governorship poll in Osun State is already having a divine support.

Aregbesola spoke in Osogbo at the reception organised to mark the 60th birthday of an ex-Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam.

Salaam served as the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly between 2011 and 2018, when Aregbesola was the governor of the state.

The ex-Osun governor, who spoke in Yoruba language, after acknowledging the presence of the incumbent Speaker of the State Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, and the representative of the state governor, George Alabi, said he would not want to offend either of the two men with his speech.

He subsequently stated that God is supporting his new party to win the state in the next poll.

After rendering many songs purporting good fortune in the offing for his party, Aregbesola said, “I don’t want to offend the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Egbedun, and the representative of the governor. But I am very sure that it is our own (ADC) that God will support.”

Earlier, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Egbedun, noted Salaam’s contributions to the state democratic experience when he served as Speaker.

“You have always been my role model. The 8th Assembly is proud to associate with you. We see you as a role model.

“I told my people that I will relocate to my community if they elect me. I did it because I saw you, being the only Speaker in the history of Osun that holds his House firmly,” Egbedun said.

Speaking with journalists after the event, Salaam, called on Osun residents to avoid violence during the forthcoming poll, promising not to relent in campaign for politics without bitterness.

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Peter Obi Won Rivers State In 2023 Elections, The Results Were Changed – Amaechi Says

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Amaechi’s comments add another twist to the controversy over the outcome of the February 2023 election.

Rotimi Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, has alleged that Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi won the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State.

Amaechi stated this while speaking during an X Space discussion on Saturday.

“I can agree with you to some extent that Obi won Rivers State.

“But I don’t know how the results were changed,” Amaechi said.

Amaechi’s comments add another twist to the controversy over the outcome of the February 2023 election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner.

INEC declared that the APC garnered 231,591 votes in Rivers State, while LP polled 175,071 votes.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, finished third with 88,468 votes.

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Minister says no automatic ticket for APC defectors

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Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has advised intending defectors to the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State, to perish the thought of automatic ticket or hijacking the party structure.

Nnaji stated that the party will welcome intending defectors, but there won’t be an automatic ticket for anybody, no matter how highly placed.

Nnaji, who spoke in Enugu during an expanded stakeholders meeting of the party, Saturday, revealed that some persons, who he described as politically displaced politicians, have been running from pillar to post in Abuja with a view to defecting to Enugu APC and hijacking the party through the back door.

In what could be interpreted as a veiled reference to Governor Peter Mbah’s rumoured interest in joining the party, which has got many members apprehensive for fear of losing their positions or aspirations, the Minister counselled intending defectors to perish the thought of automatic ticket, insisting that the party would receive them but subject everybody to party primaries.

He said, “APC has come to stay; that is why from every nook and cranny, people want to join APC. And as we said earlier, we want people to come in, but we will not give them a free ticket; they must go to the contest.

“Anybody who wants to run for the governorship of Enugu State, let him come to the APC, we will go to contest, we are waiting for them.

“We want to populate the party, provided the person is going to look after the party when he gets in, we don’t have a problem.”

He added, “So, if the President of Nigeria wants to come and run for the governor of Enugu State, let him come, we will support him.

“If the former governor of anywhere wants to join us, let him come; we will run the primaries. It will make it even easier, the primary will be the main election. So that when we finish with the primary, we know we have finished.

“But let me tell you, he will not enter, he is afraid, because there are too many IDPs in Enugu, Internally Displaced Politicians, many of them, they are partyless, they don’t have a party.

“That’s why we are urging him to come, but he will not come. He is an internally displaced politician, he doesn’t have party, he is partyless, we want him to come, he will be running from pillar to post, until it is too late.

“But the good thing is that this our mission is being supported by the good Lord who created us, so we are heading to the government house.

“This is part of the confusion that they will be seeing, that they will be meeting until it becomes too late for them. So, we have a focus, we know where we are going and we will keep going there,” he said.

The Minister praised the state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah and executives of the party from Ward to State level for their hard work and steadfastness; and other stakeholders for their support, saying that they will be rewarded for their efforts.

Three members of the House of Representatives, who recently defected from Labour Party, LP, to APC, including Hon Sunday Umeha (Udi/Ezeagu), Hon Chimobi Atu (Enugu North/Enugu South) and Prof. Paul Nnamchi in their message pledged their support to ensure that APC wins all the political positions in the state in 2027, including the governorship seat.

Umeha stated that he overcame all manner of discouragement to be the first elected official to defect to APC Enugu State, and was shortly followed by Hon Atu and Hon. Prof Nnamchi, revealing that many more lawmakers, including a senator will soon join APC in the state.

The State Chairman, Agballah stated that APC Enugu State has been growing in leaps and bounds courtesy of Minister Nnaji who has borne the burden of sponsoring the party for more than one year now.

He informed party members to participate actively in the coming continuous voter registration, CVR, exercise by the Independent National Electoral the, INEC, noting that from the end of August, anybody attending a Ward meeting must go with his or her voter card.

He said, “There will be a primary in APC, there will be proper nomination in APC”.

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God made Buhari President – Amaechi shades Tinubu

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Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has thrown a jab at President Bola Tinubu over his claims of being behind the emergence of late Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria.

Speaking during an an X space, Amaechi said God made Buhari President.

He challenged those with a contrary view to disclose how much they contributed in making Buhari President.

Buhari ruled Nigeria as a civilian President from 2015 to 2023. Prior to 2015, Buhari contested severally for the presidency but failed.

There are claims that Tinubu’s influence contributed a lot in ensuring that Buhari became President in 2015.

During his campaign in Ogun State in 2022, Tinubu had said he supported Buhari to become President, hence 2023 was his turn – “Emi Lokan”.

Amaechi said: “God and the Nigerian people chose Buhari as President over any other candidate.

“If somebody claims that Buhari became President because of them, they should explain how much they contributed and what else they did.”

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