By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

Leaders of African Democratic Congress (ADC) have stressed the need for unity and adoption of a credible candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

The leaders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as well as former Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi, made the call at the 2026 ADC national convention in Abuja on Tuesday.

Amaechi, while speaking at the convention, noted that electoral success was dependent on presenting a strong and widely-acceptable candidate.

He recalled the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that leaders then set aside ethnic and religious sentiments to rally behind a competent candidate with broad national appeal.

“We did it in APC,” Amaechi said, stressing that party stakeholders deliberately chose a viable candidate and avoided divisive considerations that could weaken unity and electoral prospects.

He, however , expressed the regret that Nigeria had regressed into divisive politics, with ethnicity and religion dominating discourse, blaming the trend for worsening national challenges and weakening cohesion among citizens.

Amaechi said that economic realities should guide national thinking, noting that markets were driven by currency value, not identity, even as he called on citizens to prioritise shared prosperity over sectional sentiments.

“Today, religion and ethnicity brought us here. There is no Muslim market, no Christian market; the market is Naira,” he said, calling on Nigerians to embrace unity and economic pragmatism above divisive affiliations.

He also urged the party members to make informed decisions, expressing optimism that unity, merit and pragmatism would shape the party’s choices ahead of the 2027 elections.

Also speaking, Obi said that while leaders had spoken well, Nigerians must confront realities through data.

He noted that Nigeria moved from fourth position to eighth in global terrorism ranking, warning that further decline could occur without decisive and collective national action.

Obi also stated that Nigeria’s debt had increased from N87 trillion to about N200 trillion, submitting that borrowings had surged despite subsidy removal.

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate decried what he called low funding of the 2025 budget, with its attendant implications on the nation’s economy.

While cautioning that failure to act could endanger future generations, he urged Nigerians to work collectively to prevent economic collapse.

On his own part, Abubakar enjoined ADC members and Nigerians to ensure meaningful change in the country’s political direction.

He said his generation remained committed to securing a better future for youths, stressing that current efforts were driven by concern for younger Nigerians and future generations.

The former vice-president assured that corruption would not be tolerated under ADC, promising strict governance and refusal to compromise with criminal elements or terrorists threatening national stability.

He described the struggle as one for all Nigerians, calling for collective responsibility in restoring democracy and national integrity across institutions and governance structures. (NAN)

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