Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said he will not participate in any presidential debate ahead of the 2027 general elections unless President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are also represented.
Atiku, who leads a coalition of opposition parties, accused the APC-led administration of using presidential debate platforms to create divisions among opposition candidates while avoiding direct scrutiny from Nigerians.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Atiku’s campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Okonkwo criticised the organisation of debates involving only opposition candidates, describing the arrangement as unfair and an advantage to the ruling party.
He argued that political contests should primarily involve the ruling party and opposition parties, rather than opposition candidates being made to debate among themselves.
According to him, Atiku would therefore make his participation in any presidential debate conditional on the presence of Tinubu and the APC.
“There is no hiding place for APC in 2027,” Okonkwo stated.
The campaign, however, clarified that Atiku remains willing to engage Nigerians through interviews, town hall meetings, press conferences and other public platforms.
It said the former Vice President would only avoid debate arrangements that pit opposition candidates against one another while excluding the ruling party.
Okonkwo also formally challenged President Tinubu to participate in a national presidential debate with Atiku.
He said such a debate would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to hear directly from both the ruling party and the opposition about their policies, plans and proposed solutions to the country’s challenges.
The campaign maintained that a direct debate between the two major contenders would help voters make a more informed decision ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
