By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned what it described as the fraudulent use of its identity and accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of actions it said undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The party’s position was contained in an official statement issued on Monday, 31 August, 2026, and signed by its National Chairman, Hon Nafiu Bala Gombe, following an emergency joint session of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Working Committee (NWC) convened the same day to deliberate on matters it said threatened the integrity of the party and the nation.
The ADC condemned and ordered an immediate stop to what it called the criminal impersonation, forgery and unauthorised exploitation of its name, logo and symbols, warning that using its identity to project falsehoods and embarrass Nigeria before the international community would not be tolerated.
It said the actions were deliberately designed to ridicule the country, erode its standing among the community of nations and present it as lawless, describing the conduct as a betrayal of national pride and sovereignty.
While acknowledging every citizen’s right to legal recourse, the party insisted that grievances against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be ventilated within the ambit of Nigerian laws and institutions, describing the move to drag his office to foreign courts as an act of desperation, cowardice and treachery.
It further described Atiku’s institution of legal proceedings against a sitting Nigerian President in a foreign jurisdiction as unpatriotic, shameful and a direct affront to the country’s national security and interest, alleging that it amounted to internationalising local politics for selfish gain.
The ADC consequently served Atiku notice to desist from parading himself as, or speaking for, its presidential candidate, warning that any further attempt to drag its name into his personal political vendetta, or into actions that bring Nigeria into international ridicule, would attract legal and political consequences.
On the G100 Coalition agenda, the party said its leadership was aware of sustained pressure, manipulation and backchannel negotiations by certain elements within the coalition and Atiku to railroad it into a forced merger or alliance.
It stated clearly that it was not, and would not be, in any alliance, merger or coalition with any political party ahead of the 2027 elections, describing itself as independent, principle-driven and self-reliant, and one that would contest and win elections based on its ideology, structure and the mandate of the Nigerian people.
The party added that it would not watch opportunists hijack its platform to peddle lies, incite chaos and destabilise the country’s democracy in pursuit of personal ambition, insisting it would not serve as a ladder for political anarchists.
The BOT/NWC charged all party members, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the general public to take note of the resolutions, adding that the ADC remained committed to building a united, disciplined and people-centred party capable of providing credible leadership for Nigeria in 2027.
