ADC Leaders Accuse Atiku of Sidelining South-West Party Structure

Some leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the South-West have accused the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of sidelining established structures in the region.

The aggrieved members include some state chairmen and governorship candidates. They alleged that Atiku had relied on friends and personal associates for political engagements instead of using the party’s structures.

The development has reportedly stirred discontent among some members and affected preparations for the 2027 elections in the region.

It was gathered that some ADC governorship candidates and party leaders raised the issue at a meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on September 4.

The leaders reportedly complained to the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, about their exclusion from Atiku’s political activities.

One of the governorship candidates at the meeting said the leaders demanded greater recognition for the party structure.

“The meeting was hot. We told the national secretariat, through Aregbesola, that Atiku must respect the party structure and channel his campaign through it,” the source said.

The candidate alleged that Atiku’s reliance on friends and loyalists had sidelined party officials from activities they should ordinarily coordinate.

The source added that the leaders wanted the structures that produced ADC candidates for the 2027 elections to play active roles in the presidential campaign.

Another participant said Atiku held a virtual meeting with South-West stakeholders the following day.

According to the source, the former Vice-President pledged to address their concerns and asked each state to submit five names for his campaign committee.

However, the source claimed that the situation had not changed significantly since the intervention.

Some party insiders also alleged that Atiku had not provided enough financial support for political activities across the region.

An ADC official claimed that the six South-West state chairmen received no transport assistance after travelling to Abuja for a meeting with Atiku on September 17.

An ADC House of Assembly candidate in Ekiti State also linked the low visibility of Atiku’s campaign in the region to the alleged lack of engagement with party members.

In Lagos, Chairman of ADC Local Government Chairmen, Adewole Ijaogbomo, alleged that a few individuals had taken control of campaign activities.

He urged Atiku to intervene, claiming that some people were positioning themselves to benefit from campaign funds.

However, South-West ADC Chairman, Akin Omole, defended the presidential candidate against the allegations.

Omole said Atiku could maintain relationships with political associates outside the party while still working with the ADC structure.

He confirmed the September 4 meeting in Ibadan but said the gathering focused mainly on strategies for securing electoral support for the party.

Omole also rejected the suggestion that Atiku should personally finance the activities of party officials.

He described the ADC as a collective political organisation whose activities should involve its members and structures.

Similarly, Lagos ADC Chairman, George Ashiru, said the absence of state campaign committees did not mean party executives had been excluded.

Ashiru explained that Atiku had yet to inaugurate state campaign councils or appoint coordinators.

He said party members would participate once the relevant campaign structures emerged.

In Osun State, the ADC also dismissed reports of a disagreement between Atiku and Aregbesola.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, said there was no leadership crisis or rancour between the two politicians.

He said the South-West leadership was implementing a political roadmap aimed at expanding the party’s influence across the region.

Atiku’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, also rejected the allegations of marginalisation.

Shaibu said state coordinators and campaign councils had not yet been announced or inaugurated, making claims of exclusion premature.

“Atiku is a party man who respects the party’s structure, its members and its leaders,” he said.

He described claims that Atiku had bypassed party structures as opposition conjecture rather than a genuine complaint from ADC members.