Former presidential adviser, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has warned that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) could face serious internal crisis if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerges as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, Baba-Ahmed said Atiku is strongly positioned to secure the ADC ticket once the party holds its national convention. However, he believes such an outcome could trigger mass defections from within the party.
According to him, many of the influential figures currently aligning with the ADC are doing so with presidential ambitions of their own. Once it becomes clear that Atiku has clinched the ticket, he said, disillusionment would set in among other aspirants and their supporters.
“If ADC goes to convention — and it certainly will, because that’s what former Vice President Atiku wants — he will get the ticket,” Baba-Ahmed stated. “And then, a lot of people will walk out because many of them are in the party for the same reason: they want the ticket.”
He explained that the party is currently hosting several heavyweight political actors whose interests are likely to clash when the contest for the presidential ticket formally begins, making internal stability difficult to sustain.
Baba-Ahmed also touched on the political posture of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, suggesting that Obi’s approach may not sit well with a competitive primary process. He noted that Obi appears more comfortable being adopted as a consensus candidate rather than engaging in a crowded convention.
“One of the reasons Peter Obi is saying, ‘I’m not here for number two, I’m not here for convention, I’m here to fly the flag,’ is that others are now telling him to join the queue,” he said. “He’s not the only one with ambition.”
According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s expectation of being automatically endorsed could further heighten tensions within the ADC if party processes do not go his way.
He concluded that the party’s convention could become a turning point that weakens the coalition backing the ADC.
“The ADC will bleed after its convention,” he said. “Because almost certainly Atiku will win the ticket, and when he does, some people will walk out.”
The comments add to growing debates over the future of the ADC and the stability of opposition coalitions ahead of the 2027 elections.
