Atiku flags off ADC campaign in Kebbi, pledges security, fuel subsidy restoration

By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi BIRNIN KEBBI — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to address Nigeria’s security challenges and restore fuel subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general elections. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the promises during the flag-off of his campaign in Kebbi State, where he described the forthcoming election as a referendum on the policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

He said the election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to decide whether to retain the current government or embrace an alternative amid concerns over economic hardship and insecurity. Supporters of the ADC converged on the party’s secretariat in Birnin Kebbi to welcome Atiku and other party chieftains ahead of the campaign rally. Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Austin Akobundu, commended party members for attending the gathering despite what he described as intimidation by the state government.

Akobundu said the 2027 election would be a referendum on the performance of the Tinubu administration, adding that hunger, insecurity and unemployment would feature prominently in the campaign. The ADC National Chairman, in his remarks, described the party as a moving train that could not be stopped by intimidation. He urged Kebbi residents to vote for Abubakar Malami as governor, Atiku as president and other ADC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Atiku and his running mate also criticised some projects being presented as achievements of the Tinubu administration, alleging that they were legacies of the late President Muhammadu Buhari. They described the ADC as an alternative for Nigerians seeking improved security and a reversal of the fuel subsidy policy. The rally climaxed with the ADC National Chairman formally presenting the party’s flag to Malami as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Meanwhile, security was heightened in Birnin Kebbi ahead of Atiku’s arrival, with security personnel deployed across parts of the state capital to prevent any breakdown of law and order. The campaign rally ended peacefully, with no reported attacks or destruction of vehicles, unlike the violence alleged to have accompanied the party’s campaign activities in Sokoto State.