BY AHMED AKANBI
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has thrown a direct challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), telling the ruling party to stop trying to knock them out through the courts but meet them at the ballot box, if they are truly popular.
The challenge came from Senator Austin O. Akobundu, Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, after huge crowds turned out to welcome the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Sokoto State, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, in Kebbi State.
Akobundu said the turnout was more than fanfare, arguing that it was proof, that Nigerians are hungry for an alternative and are ready to listen to the ADC’s message.
He thanked supporters for their peaceful conduct, solidarity and commitment, saying their reception showed a people determined to decide their own future.
But behind the celebration, he said, is a disturbing pattern: an attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to shrink the political space and frustrate the opposition through what he described as a backdoor court process.
To Akobundu, the resort to legal manoeuvres speaks louder than any campaign slogan. If the ruling party is confident of victory, why not let Nigerians choose freely?
“If the Federal Government and the APC believe they have the capacity to win, let them allow a free and fair election. Let Nigerians choose without intimidation, obstruction or interference. They must stop trying to muzzle the political space and using a backdoor court process to remove us from the contest,” he said.
He warned that democracy cannot thrive where opposition parties are harassed, blocked or dragged into endless litigation while the ruling party campaigns unhindered.
Nigerians, he said, must be free to attend rallies, hear competing ideas and vote without fear. Anything less makes the 2027 election a formality, not a contest.
“The credibility of the 2027 general elections depends on ensuring that the people’s votes, rather than political interference, determine the outcome,” he said.
Despite the pressure, Akobundu urged ADC members and supporters to remain calm, steadfast and peaceful, and not to be provoked into violence.
He assured them the party would not be distracted from its core message: affordable living, greater opportunities and national renewal.
“We call on our party supporters to remain calm and resolute. Let us continue to campaign peacefully and confidently, knowing that the people’s will must prevail,” he said.
He again thanked residents of Sokoto and Kebbi for the warm reception, promising that the campaign train would move to other states with the same message of a new direction for Nigeria.