Atiku won’t fly ADC’s flag in 2027 – El-Rufai

Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed confidence that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will not present former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.

Bashir made this known on Thursday through a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He was reacting to a comment by a social media user, @Osi_Sauve, who argued that the ADC would suffer a heavy defeat if Atiku eventually emerged as its presidential flagbearer.

The user had written: “If your presidential candidate is Atiku then you will woefully lose. Just stating the obvious.”

In response, Bashir disagreed with the idea that Atiku would be the party’s candidate. He clearly stated that Atiku would not be flying the ADC’s flag in 2027. According to him, the former vice president should instead take on the role of a respected elder statesman and political leader who guides and supports the next generation.

“It won’t be Atiku. I believe Atiku should be the statesman and the godfather at this historic turning point in our nation,” Bashir wrote.

He suggested that Nigeria is at a critical stage in its political development and needs strategic leadership decisions. Bashir further explained that the ADC would stand a better chance in the election if it fields a popular and widely accepted candidate from the South-East region, paired with a strong and influential figure from the North as running mate.

According to him, such a North-South combination would be politically balanced and appealing to a broad section of voters across the country. He argued that this strategy would make it difficult for rival political parties to defeat the ADC at the polls.

“They are easily defeated by my calculus with that strategy,” he added, suggesting that his political assessment shows the proposed arrangement would give the party a clear advantage.

His comments come amid growing political discussions and alignments ahead of the 2027 general election, as parties begin to consider possible candidates and regional power-sharing arrangements.