ADC Explains Atiku Abubakar's Absence From G100 Opposition Gathering

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has clarified why its presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, was not present at the G100 opposition summit held in Abuja this past Monday. According to Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary for the ADC, the gathering was primarily designed for discussions among various political parties rather than a meeting of presidential candidates.

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television's Day Break program, Abdullahi stated, “The summit—the way we understand it, the summit is more about conversation between political parties, rather than conversation among candidates. It’s more about exploring cooperation opportunities among political parties. So, it’s not consequential that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was not present.”

Abdullahi further confirmed that the ADC had robust representation at the summit, with himself attending alongside four of the party's vice chairmen. He added, “I was there, the party was highly represented—we had like four Vice Chairmen there at the G100 Summit. So, ADC was fully represented, and we participated in the process.”

The summit, which convened on Monday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, brought together delegates from six opposition political parties. Their agenda focused on identifying potential areas for collaboration in preparation for the 2027 general elections. This meeting forms part of ongoing efforts by opposition factions to establish a unified strategy for challenging the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, notable opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar himself, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, representatives from the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Allied Peoples Movement, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde were conspicuously absent from the event. Among the presidential candidates who did participate were Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, Adewole Adebayo representing the Social Democratic Party, and Moses Adebisi from the Democratic Leadership Alliance.

The ADC spokesperson also emphasized that the party's engagement in these discussions was not contingent on the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate with other opposition groups. He declared, “We in the African Democratic Congress, we are happy to have this conversation, but everything we are doing is not dependent on whether we are able to produce a single presidential candidate. We are saying that on our own, as the ADC, we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027. But if we are able to negotiate this cooperation, then it makes the job easier.”

Abdullahi, however, highlighted the contentious issue of fuel subsidy as a potential ideological hurdle for any proposed opposition alliance, affirming the ADC's unwavering stance on the matter. He articulated that the party considers the reintroduction of fuel subsidy as “the ideological pillar” of its strategy aimed at alleviating the cost of living.

“So, that’s a question that the promoters of this grand coalition will have to answer, because it will now be: does the other party—like you mentioned the candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi—if he doesn’t believe in the return of subsidy, and we believe in the return of subsidy, then what will be the basis for the merger?” Abdullahi questioned. He continued, “So for us, it is non-negotiable. We are convinced, our economists are working day and night looking at some of the numbers in greater detail than I can give you—I’m not an economist—but for us, it is something that we are not going back on.”

Abdullahi concluded by stating that the ADC is open to collaborating with other opposition figures who share its perspective on the fuel subsidy issue. He cited examples, “You’ve heard Olawepo-Hashim saying that he believes in subsidy, giving subsidy to Nigerians; you’ve heard Sowore saying that he believes in giving subsidy to Nigerians—so, if they all agree, those of us who agree on subsidy, that can be a basis for cooperation.”