Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said he will only participate in presidential debates ahead of the 2027 general elections if President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are also represented.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by his official spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, who said presidential debates should provide a platform for both the ruling party and opposition candidates to present their policies, programmes and vision to Nigerians.
Okonkwo criticised the growing practice of organising debates involving only opposition presidential candidates, describing the arrangement as unacceptable and unfair to the electorate.
According to him, presidential contests are fundamentally between the party in government and opposition parties, arguing that debates should therefore involve candidates capable of offering Nigerians alternative choices as well as the incumbent administration.
“The situation in Nigeria today in which presidential debates are organised among the opposition parties only is therefore untenable,” Okonkwo said.
He alleged that the APC-led administration was benefiting from such arrangements by allowing opposition candidates to confront one another while avoiding direct scrutiny of the government’s record and policies.
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He said Atiku, as a leader of the coalition of opposition parties and political leaders, would not participate in any debate format that he believes could create divisions within the opposition camp or provide what he described as an undue advantage to the ruling party.
“HE Atiku Abubakar, as the leader of the coalition of opposition parties and leaders, is left with no other choice than to make his appearance in any presidential debates conditional on the participation of President Bola Tinubu and the APC,” the statement said.
The former vice president, however, said he remained willing to engage Nigerians through other platforms, including interviews, town hall meetings, press conferences and other public forums.
Atiku’s spokesperson said such engagements would provide the ADC candidate with opportunities to explain his policies directly to Nigerians without participating in debate arrangements that, in his view, could pit opposition candidates against one another.
The statement added that Atiku was challenging President Tinubu to participate in a national presidential debate where the ruling party and opposition could directly present their programmes and explain how they intend to implement them.
“HE Atiku Abubakar, therefore, challenges President Bola Tinubu to a national presidential debate which will provide an opportunity for both the ruling party and the opposition parties to address Nigerians on their policies and ways to achieve those policies so that Nigerians can make an informed choice for the 2027 elections,” Okonkwo said.
The development adds another dimension to preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with political parties and opposition groups already positioning themselves for what is expected to be a closely contested political battle.
Atiku, who has previously contested the presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is now seeking the presidency under the ADC as part of a broader opposition coalition.
His latest position effectively places the participation of the ADC presidential candidate in future televised presidential debates on whether the organisers can secure the participation of Tinubu and the APC.
The statement also signals Atiku’s preference for direct engagement with the electorate and for a debate format that allows the ruling party and opposition candidates to be subjected to comparative scrutiny before Nigerians ahead of the 2027 polls.