Former presidential adviser, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, has warned that the African Democratic Congress could experience internal crisis and mass defections if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerges as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Baba Ahmed made the assertion on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he spoke on the growing ambitions within the coalition backed party.
According to him, Atiku is strongly positioned to secure the ADC presidential ticket should the party proceed with a national convention, a scenario he believes would trigger dissatisfaction among other aspirants and their supporters.
He said many prominent figures currently aligning with the ADC are driven by personal presidential ambitions, which could clash once the process of candidate selection begins.
Baba Ahmed noted that if Atiku wins the ticket through a convention, several members who joined the party with similar aspirations would have little incentive to remain.
He also spoke on the posture of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, suggesting that Obi’s political approach may not fit well with a highly competitive primary process.
According to him, Obi is used to being adopted as a consensus candidate rather than engaging in open contests against multiple aspirants within a party.
He added that the growing insistence by other aspirants that Obi must participate fully in the convention process could heighten tensions within the party.
Baba Ahmed argued that the ADC currently houses several high profile political actors whose interests may be difficult to reconcile during a presidential primary.
He concluded that the outcome of the party’s convention would be a defining moment for the ADC, warning that a poorly managed process could destabilise the coalition and weaken its prospects ahead of the 2027 polls.
