By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
Despite the demoralizing unfavourable court verdict puting his 2027 presidential bid in a precarious trajectory earlier today, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has thrown down the gauntlet to President Bola Tinubu, pledging to restore fuel subsidy and crush insecurity if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, made the bold promises on Thursday during the flag-off of his campaign in Kebbi State, describing the forthcoming election as a referendum on the policies of the Tinubu administration.
He said Nigerians will have a clear choice — to retain the current government or embrace an alternative amid rising hunger, 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.
Despite what party leaders described as intimidation by the state government, thousands turned out, chanting and waving party flags.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Austin Akobundu, commended party members for attending the gathering.
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 took a swipe at some projects being presented as achievements of the Tinubu administration, alleging that they were legacies of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
They presented the ADC as the 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.
Unlike the violence alleged to have accompanied the party’s campaign activities in Sokoto State, the Kebbi rally ended peacefully, with no reported attacks or destruction of vehicles.
