Politics

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

Published

10 months ago

August 10, 2025

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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I am open to reconciling with Kano gov – Kwankwaso

Published

57 minutes ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Former Kano State Governor and national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, says he remains willing to forgive Governor Abba Yusuf and reconcile with him despite their political differences, insisting that his affection for his former protégé has not diminished.

Relationship between the two politicians soured after Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party, under which he won the 2023 governorship election, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a move that drew sharp criticism from members of the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Speaking in an interview in a video posted by BBC Hausa on Monday, Kwankwaso, who has also defected from NNPP to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said the door to reconciliation remains open.

He stressed that Yusuf was the one who chose to leave their political fold and that he would not turn him away if he decided to return.

“I still love Abba and I didn’t reject him, he is the one that left. So not just Abba, if anyone who left comes back, I won’t be unforgiving. Look at Ganduje, in the many years we worked together, we fell out several times and got back together. That is how politics works,” he said.

Kwankwaso argued that Yusuf’s electoral victory was made possible by the strength of the movement.

“We picked Abba to contest under the NNPP and we won, but he left to join the people we defeated. Some say he did so because he feared losing his position, but he knows there was no way we would have been defeated in Kano. If that were the case, we would have lost when he contested under our party,” he stated.

The former governor further explained that the movement intentionally fielded Yusuf in 2023 to demonstrate its political influence.

“We did not choose him because he was the most senior or the most educated. We chose him because we wanted to test the strength and calibre of the Kwankwasiyya movement at that time,” he said.

Emphasising the importance of tolerance in leadership, Kwankwaso said leaders must accept differing opinions and embrace forgiveness.

“As a leader, you need to have an open heart. You cannot force people to think the way you do because we all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. Without forgiveness, we would not have come this far,” he added.

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Politics

Peter Obi slams Tinubu over rising debt, says N200tn borrowed without accountability

Published

1 hour ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over what he described as excessive borrowing and poor fiscal accountability.

Obi said Nigeria’s total public debt has risen to about N200 trillion, which he attributed to what he called “imprudent governance” under the current administration.

He said the debt level represents an increase of over N100 trillion in three years, contrasting it with the approximately N49 trillion accumulated during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former Labour Party presidential flagbearer in the 2023 election stated this in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, saying the situation reflected a lack of accountability and transparency in the management of borrowed funds.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has engaged in remarkably imprudent borrowing, escalating Nigeria’s total debt to approximately N200 trillion. This represents an increase of over N100 trillion within a mere three years, a stark contrast to the roughly N49 trillion accumulated during President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure, which would have projected to around N80 trillion.

“As millions of Nigerians grapple with the shock of this unsustainable debt accumulation, the situation is exacerbated by the government’s reckless approach to borrowing and a profound absence of accountability and transparency in the utilisation of these funds,” he said.

Citing figures from the Budget Office, Obi said the government borrowed N11.89 trillion in the first three quarters of 2025 (January to September), exceeding its planned borrowing target of N10.34 trillion by about N1.54 trillion.

He said such an overrun should ordinarily attract scrutiny and explanation from relevant authorities.

“Under a responsible and accountable government, such an overshoot would necessitate rigorous scrutiny and explanation from relevant governmental bodies. Regrettably, this is not the reality under the current administration,” he said.

Obi further claimed that only N3.10 trillion of the borrowed funds was allocated to capital expenditure during the January–September 2025 period, representing 17.66 per cent of the N17.58 trillion earmarked for capital projects, leaving a funding gap of about N14.48 trillion.

He questioned how the remaining funds were utilised.

“The most disturbing aspect of the financial management fiasco under Bola Tinubu is that there is no explanation or information regarding how the balance was utilised or deployed.

“The question that Nigerians are rightly asking and deserve an answer to is what happened to the balance? Was it deployed for recurrent expenditure/consumption, for the entertainment of guests to Aso Rock or transferred to the Renewed Hope Agenda 2027 Election Campaign Fund?

“Nigerians deserve an answer on how our economy and resources are most unpatriotically managed,” he said.

Nigeria has faced mounting debt pressures since the Tinubu administration’s major reforms began in mid-2023, including the removal of long-standing fuel subsidies and unification of the foreign exchange market.

These moves aimed to correct fiscal distortions but triggered immediate inflation spikes, naira volatility, and higher living costs, while increasing the local-currency burden of debt servicing.

Tinubu had disclosed in May 2026 that Nigeria plans to spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing in 2026.

While supporters of the government argue that borrowings support critical infrastructure, critics warn of a debt without growth trap.

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Politics

ADC alleges PVC mop-up, fake Amotekun plot

Published

11 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, on Monday, alleged mop-up of Permanent Voter Cards in parts of the state by some agents who he said were illegally collecting the document.

The Director, Communications, Media and Publicity, Amb Dare Bejide Campaign Organisation, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan, said the perpetrators, who he identified as All Progressives Congress agents, wanted to use the cards for sinister purposes, as he appealed to residents not to succumb to such.

Aribisogan also alleged at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti that some political thugs were being kitted in fake Amotekun Security Network uniforms, adding that “the individuals are being trained and mobilised to intimidate voters, snatch ballot boxes and attack polling agents on election day.”

The ADC campaign spokesperson, who said the impersonation of Amotekun operatives was a deliberate plot to confuse voters and discredit a regional security outfit that Ekiti people trusted.

He called on the Ekiti Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig Gen Olu Adewa (retd) and the police “to immediately identify and arrest anyone found wearing an Amotekun uniform without authorisation.”

Aribisogan said, “Across several local government areas in Ekiti, our party has documented a pattern where agents and foot soldiers of the APC are moving from house to house and polling units demanding the collection of PVCs and National Identification Numbers from voters.

“They promised cash, food items, or welfare support in exchange. This is a direct violation of Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, which prohibits voter inducement and the seizure of voter cards.

“The aim is clear – disenfranchise citizens, harvest PVCs, and use them for thumb-printing and multiple voting on election day. No citizen should surrender their PVC or NIN to any political party agent. Your PVC is your power. Once you give it up, you give up your voice.”

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a public warning against PVC and NIN harvesting and to deploy its monitoring teams to flashpoints immediately.

“We use this medium to tell Ekiti people not to be intimidated. Do not surrender your PVC or NIN. Do not be cowed by thugs in borrowed uniforms. Your vote is your right, and it is your power. Come out on election day, vote and protect your vote,” Aribisogan stated.

But the APC state Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, who spoke in a telephone interview, said the ADC members had only displayed their ignorance once again with their allegations.

Dipe, who said advanced technology had made use of another person’s PVC impossible, queried what APC would want to do with anybody’s voter card.

“The ADC have run out of what to say, and they are only displaying their ignorance. Nobody is mopping up PVCs.

“We will pardon their ignorance if they think that you can collect anybody’s PVC. Why can’t they collect another person’s PVC and see how useful or useless it is? So we are pardoning their ignorance,” he said.

The APC spokesperson, who also dismissed the allegation of kitting thugs in Amotekun outfits, said, “Amotekun is the project of the APC government. It is not the project of any other person. So why would we get fake Amotekun when we can recruit as many people into Amotekun?

“The duty of Amotekun is different. Amotekun is to ensure that people are not kidnapped; they go into the bushes. Are we kitting fake people to go into the bushes? So again, we pardon their ignorance for not knowing the roles and functions of Amotekun.”

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