Leaders and chieftains of the Action Democratic Party(ADP) have disclosed details of their meeting with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stating that it was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration to strengthen democracy.
The conference may have been related to planning for the 2027 elections, according to ADP National Chairman Yabagi Sani and another party leader who asked to remain anonymous since he was not permitted to discuss the matter in public.
On February 1, Atiku met privately with the leaders of the ADP in Abuja.
After the meeting, there has been increasing conjecture that Atiku might be preparing the ADP as a backup platform in the event that he is not elected president by the African Democratic Congress to run against President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming election.
Sani explained that the goal of the meeting with Atiku was to maintain and strengthen the nation’s multi-party system so that it could pose a serious threat to President Tinubu’s APC-led administration.
Yabagi said, “The meeting was largely about strengthening democracy and protecting democratic pluralism, ensuring that Nigeria’s multi-party system is sustained and that opposition parties have the stability needed to function effectively.
“The focus is on creating an environment where opposition groups feel reinforced and encouraged, especially amid concerns that the ruling APC is attempting to weaken and discourage opposition participation.”
In addition to scheduled meetings with other stakeholders, the ADP chairman revealed that the purpose of the meeting with Atiku was to make sure opposition leaders had strong options when they attempted to take on the APC.
The purpose of the meeting, according to the other ADP official, was to discuss how like-minded opposition leaders could cooperate in order to oppose and offer a substitute for the APC.
He said, “We met largely to discuss areas of collaboration and how we can work together ahead of the 2027 election. Opposition parties are trying to work together. In our case, we are not going to be part of any coalition, but we are engaging with leaders beyond Atiku.
“We are also speaking with others to see how we can create more options for opposition leaders and like-minded individuals who are willing to come together to rescue the country from the All Progressives Congress.
“The conversation is centred on democracy, how to sustain it, how to develop the country, and how to address the issues affecting our nation. That is simply the essence of it.”
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