What kind of president will you be, and what do you truly stand for?
I hear you asking what kind of president I will be, so let me tell you what I stand for.
I believe political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are how we work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As a leader, I see it as my duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country.
That conviction comes from experience. My generation worked hard to return soldiers to the barracks and to defend your right to elect and establish a legitimate government for yourselves, one established and governed by law, founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.
I am also determined to see our democracy work better for you. I have called for a candidate for President to earn 50% plus 1 of the valid votes cast, failing which a run-off between the top two candidates would be held, so that there is a real, popular mandate. I have also called for a single six-year term for President, to be rotated among the six geo-political zones, to reduce the desperation of incumbents and distractions from governing, and to promote equity and national unity, so that no zones gang up to exclude others from the presidency.
I take seriously how Nigeria is represented on the world stage. I have insisted that Nigeria's diplomatic influence, economic interests and international reputation must not be subordinated to any personal baggage, and that Nigerians deserve answers and accountability, not silence and evasions, when it comes to how our country's standing abroad is handled.
Where this comes from
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1709954523026878845 2023-10-05 ›
Being text of a press conference by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar (GCON), Waziri Adamawa, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023), at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre on the 5th of October 2023.
Protocol
Gentlemen of the Press, Fellow Citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I consider it important to address and report to you today on issues that define the future of elective government and legitimate leadership in our country.
Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country.
For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government. Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1709954523026878845 2023-10-05 ›
The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here.
Today, we are called upon again as a people to uphold and defend the ground rules of elective government in our country. The constitution prescribes the requirements for those who seek the highest elective office in the land.
It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office.
We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere.
I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution.
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1718948336344936730 2023-10-30 ›
One such headline recommendation was the concept of rotational presidency anchored on the principle of 6 years single term among the 6 geopolitical blocks. Even the notional idea of delineating the country along geo-political blocks was a creation of the 1995 conference. Another thematic recommendation at the conference was that the Federal Capital Territory should be given the democratic opportunity to elect for itself a mayor who shall emerge from popular franchise. These two recommendations were part of the landmark reforms that were submitted to the military government that convoked the Constitutional Conference.
However, and rather disappointingly, the government that midwifed the current democratic dispensation and enacted what is now known as the 1999 Constitution, expunged these two recommendations from what eventually became the body of legislation to govern our fledgling democracy.
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1718948336344936730 2023-10-30 ›
What we have currently is akin to asking thieves to keep their loot and use the same to defend themselves while the case of their robbery is being decided. It only encourages mandate banditry rather than discourages it.
Thirdly, in order to ensure popular mandate and real representation, we must move to require a candidate for President to earn 50% +1 of the valid votes cast, failing which a run-off between the top two candidates will be held. Most countries that elect their presidents use this Two-Round System (with slight variations) rather than our current First-Past-the-Post system.
Examples include France, Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, Turkey and Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar and even Liberia where a run-off is expected to hold in the coming days.
Fourthly, in order to reduce the desperation of incumbents and distractions from governing and also to promote equity and national unity, we need to move to a single six-year term for President to be rotated among the six geo-political zones. This will prevent the ganging up of two or more geo-political zones to alternate the presidency among themselves to the exclusion of other zones.
Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1815752042087919780 2024-07-23 ›
For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are ENSHRINED in the Nigerian Constitution and AFFIRMED by our courts. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as altered) unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.
Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is an exercise in futility when it is obvious that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are caught up in the hunger, anger, and hopelessness brought about by the incompetence and cluelessness of this government.
It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012. A responsible government must ensure a SAFE and SECURE environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to PEACEFUL PROTEST. Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy. -AA
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2059769890932940875 2026-05-27 ›
We will be guided by clear national plans with set targets and timelines in line with commitments enshrined in our party’s manifesto. We will provide clear leadership that will empower our states to competitively attain the potentials of meeting the expectations of citizens. That will include working with them to guarantee well-outlined minimum standards of welfare provision in line with international best standards. Ours will be a new era of accountable leadership.
We shall prioritise Security, Education, the Economy, Healthcare and the challenge of power- sharing among the constituent units of our country.
Security
Every region of this country is gripped by insecurity, the worst kind in our history. Our people are being slaughtered in large numbers and the government has failed to take decisive and effective action to stop it and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The most disturbing is that members of our security forces, including military generals, are being slaughtered wantonly in a manner that can only be embarrassing to our military, which fought to keep the country together and is highly respected in various parts of the world where they distinguished themselves in international assignments. All we have been getting from the government is silence and, on occasion, expression of condolence and empty promises to deal with the murderers.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2083634560516903378 2026-08-01 ›
But I cannot achieve that vision alone.
No President, no matter how determined, can rebuild Nigeria without the active participation of its greatest asset—its young people.
That brings me to the central message of my address today:
The role of young Nigerians in building a new democratic Nigeria.
The current political establishment often looks at young Nigerians and sees a restless population to be managed, manipulated or mobilised only during elections.
I see something entirely different.
I see the greatest national asset Nigeria has ever produced.
I see innovators building world-class businesses from laptops and mobile phones. I see young farmers feeding communities despite enormous odds. I see creators, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, artisans and professionals proving every day that the Nigerian spirit cannot be defeated.
Unfortunately, I also see enormous talent trapped by poor leadership.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2083634560516903378 2026-08-01 ›
I see graduates searching endlessly for jobs that do not exist.
I see entrepreneurs spending more money on diesel than on expanding their businesses.
I see brilliant young people leaving Nigeria, not because they have stopped loving their country, but because they no longer believe their country loves them back.
That must change.
And it is precisely why this election is about much more than politics.
It is about whether your generation will finally inherit a country that rewards merit instead of connections, innovation instead of patronage, productivity instead of propaganda, and competence instead of mediocrity.
My challenge to you today is simple:
What good is the strength of a giant if the giant refuses to rise?
Young Nigerians constitute the largest voting population in our country.
Yet, too often, you have allowed yourselves to be divided by tribe, religion and political manipulation while a much smaller political class decides your future.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2083634560516903378 2026-08-01 ›
Where competence matters more than connections.
Where character matters more than political patronage.
Where hard work is rewarded, and every young Nigerian has a fair opportunity to succeed.
My dear young people,
The greatest tragedy before us is not that Nigerian youths lack talent.
The greatest tragedy is that Nigeria has lacked leadership worthy of your talent.
That is why this election is different.
This election is not merely about changing a government.
It is about changing the direction of our country.
It is about restoring hope.
It is about rebuilding confidence.
It is about creating opportunities.
It is about ensuring that no young Nigerian feels compelled to abandon the country of his birth in search of dignity elsewhere.
I believe in the Nigerian youth.
I believe in your intelligence.
I believe in your creativity.
I believe in your resilience.
And I believe that if we work together, there is no obstacle too great for our nation to overcome.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2087552029358956958 2026-08-12 ›
Will you contest for office, not because you crave a title, but because you believe you have something better to offer?
Will you help build the ADC into a political party that is rooted in the people, disciplined in organisation, democratic in character and genuinely open to a new generation?
I am asking you to say:
This is my country. This is my future. This is my responsibility. I will not outsource it.
And if you accept that responsibility, I make you a promise: you will not walk alone.
I will listen to you, answer your questions and accept your criticism because I am not asking to be your master. I am asking to be your candidate, your partner and, if Nigerians entrust me with the responsibility, your servant.
LET THE RIVER RISE
Let me leave you with one image.
The River Niger, from which our country takes its name, does not begin as the mighty river we know. It begins small, and as it travels, other streams join it. One becomes ten, ten become hundreds, and what began quietly becomes a mighty river capable of sustaining millions.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2094810791937446399 2026-09-01 ›
While you rest in Europe, millions of Nigerian parents lie awake at night, staring at empty cupboards and wondering how they will face their children in the morning. That is the reality on our streets.
Atiku wants to offer Nigerians more than empty figures. He has a plan that respects the dignity and protects the survival of the Nigerian people.But the questions Nigerians are asking have not gone on leave with you.
When you return, bring answers. Reconcile the Federation Account figures of N30trillion Naira. Provide full transparency around the duty exemptions of over #34trillion Naira. Explain what Nigerians concretely received for the ₦15.8 trillion your government says subsidy removal mobilised.And explain why intervention is supposedly backward when Atiku proposes it, but miraculously becomes Renewed Hope when you announce it.
His Excellency Atiku Abubakar will continue to engage Nigerians directly on how to make their lives affordable again. He does not need to engage personally with a President who attacks his ideas while refusing to call his name.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2101719167418388531 2026-09-20 ›
TINUBU’S THIRD STRAIGHT UNGA ABSENCE: NIGERIA MUST NOT PAY FOR HIS AMERICAN BAGGAGE — ATIKU
A seat was reportedly secured for Bola near United States President Donald Trump at the world’s most important annual diplomatic gathering. Yet, for the third consecutive year, Tinubu refused to occupy it.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded a full explanation from President Tinubu over his repeated absence from the United Nations General Assembly, asking whether the President’s documented history with United States law-enforcement agencies has become a burden on Nigeria’s foreign relations.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu stayed away from the 79th UNGA session in 2024, the 80th in 2025 and now the 81st in 2026, repeatedly sending Vice President Kashim Shettima to stand in for him.
He said three consecutive absences could no longer be dismissed as coincidence or routine delegation but constituted a pattern of presidential evasion requiring an honest explanation.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2101719167418388531 2026-09-20 ›
“The United Nations General Assembly is one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings. It brings together the representatives of the UN’s 193 member states and provides a unique platform for presidents and prime ministers to defend their countries’ interests, negotiate partnerships and shape global decisions on trade, security and development,” Atiku said.
“Vice President Shettima may represent Nigeria capably, but representation by delegation cannot permanently substitute for the personal authority, visibility and responsibility of the President.
“Tinubu cannot continue to treat Nigeria’s seat at the world’s biggest diplomatic table as though it were an inconvenient appointment that can be endlessly outsourced.
“Presidential absence on the global stage has consequences. UNGA is not merely a ceremonial gathering or an annual photo opportunity. Its sidelines are where leaders hold decisive bilateral meetings, court investors, negotiate trade partnerships, mobilise development finance and make the case for their countries.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2101719167418388531 2026-09-20 ›
Atiku described as extraordinary the reported announcement by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, that he had secured Tinubu a seat “not too far from where the US President, Donald Trump, will be seated.”
“The seat was secured, but the President disappeared,” Atiku said.
“If proximity to President Trump was considered such a diplomatic achievement, why did Tinubu abandon the opportunity and send his deputy? Why celebrate securing a strategic seat for the President when the President had no intention of occupying it?
“That contradiction becomes even more scandalous when Nigerians remember that Tinubu’s administration committed up to $9 million of Nigeria’s scarce foreign exchange to American lobbyists supposedly hired to improve its standing before the government and people of the United States.
“What exactly did Nigerians purchase with that money? Why spend millions of dollars lobbying Washington while Tinubu repeatedly stays away from New York? Why hire lobbyists to speak for Nigeria in America when the Nigerian President cannot summon the courage to appear at the world’s biggest diplomatic gathering on American soil?
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2101719167418388531 2026-09-20 ›
“Nigeria could project military power across its border, yet its President could not project Nigeria’s voice from its seat at the United Nations. That contradiction is humiliating.”
Atiku demanded that the Presidency state unequivocally whether Tinubu was free to travel to the United States and disclose the real reason for his third consecutive UNGA absence.
“If there is no impediment, the Presidency must explain this serial absenteeism. If an impediment exists, Nigerians have a right to know,” he said.
“Nigeria is bigger than Bola. Our diplomatic influence, economic interests and international reputation must not be subordinated to Tinubu’s American baggage.
“After committing up to $9 million to American lobbyists, Nigerians deserve more than silence, evasions and another empty presidential seat at the United Nations.
“Is this the kind of President Nigeria deserves?
“Mr Bola, your seat was reportedly secured near President Donald Trump. Why did you refuse to occupy it?
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2105231016235315477 2026-09-30 ›
TINUBU PROTESTED JONATHAN’S FUEL PRICES. FIVE NIGERIANS ARE NOW REPORTEDLY IN CUSTODY OVER “TINUBU MUST GO” T-SHIRTS — ATIKU
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate release of five Nigerians reportedly arrested in Borno State over T-shirts bearing the words “Tinubu Must Go.” He said that if a political slogan is the reason for their detention, those responsible must explain how wearing a shirt became an offence in a democracy.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said President Bola Tinubu once stood with Nigerians protesting fuel prices under President Goodluck Jonathan, but now presides over a cost-of-living crisis that has made the same fuel, along with food, transport and electricity, painfully expensive.
“Tinubu opposed Jonathan’s fuel policy in the streets. Nigerians are living with the consequences of Tinubu’s fuel policy in their homes. Parents are cutting meals. Workers can scarcely afford the journey to work. Families are being crushed by bills that rise faster than their income. And when citizens put their anger on a T-shirt, the response is reportedly an arrest. What kind of democracy grants its President the right to protest, then takes that right away from everyone else?” Atiku asked.
Why are you still seeking the presidency after several attempts and what do you say to Nigerians who believe it is driven by personal ambition rather than national service? Atiku Abubakar: Answers to questions from the public 2026-10-05 ›
Question: Why are you still seeking the presidency after several attempts and what do you say to Nigerians who believe it is driven by personal ambition rather than national service?
Answer: I have said it several times that my interest in being president of Nigeria is to serve the country. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to be who I am today. If God has given me the grace to return the benefits to the country, why should I shy away from that call to duty? If other presidents we have had offered better quality of leadership, I would have retired the ambition. But I cannot, in good conscience, decide to retire my ambition when I know that I have better ideas to offer in leading the country. If I were interested in personal gains, I would have been patronizing my opponents all these years. Such a decision would not be fair to Nigeria. I am in the race and persistently to offer service to the country.
What would you say to South-East voters who believe that their region has been denied a fair opportunity to produce the president and why should they trust you? Atiku Abubakar: Answers to questions from the public 2026-10-05 ›
Question: What would you say to South-East voters who believe that their region has been denied a fair opportunity to produce the president and why should they trust you?
Answer: I have said repeatedly that I represent the best political bridge to actualize the dream of a Southeast presidency. I make the assertion with all sense of modesty based on our shared history. The Southeast and the Northeast, where I come from, must work together within the framework of a pan-Nigerian project to lead negotiation for correcting the power-sharing imbalance in Nigeria. The clamour for Southeast presidency is as valid as the clamour for Northeast presidency. I believe that it is based on mutual understanding and cooperation that the Southeast and Northeast can achieve the goal of producing a president of Nigeria—neither can go it alone.
p. 32 MANIFESTO OF THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
4. FOREIGN POLICY Under an ADC government, we will:
1. Put Nigeria first in every international decision. All foreign engagements will clearly benefit Nigeria's security, economy, sovereignty, and technological progress. Details:
● Prioritize trade agreements that support local industry and job creation ● Reject international commitments that undermine Nigeria's economic or strategic interests ● Negotiate partnerships that deliver technology transfer and capacity building
2. Prioritize Nigeria's internal security by rebuilding ECOWAS. We will adopt a firehose approach to diplomacy and security, driving continuous, high-volume coordination across West Africa to address shared threats.
Details:
● Lead reforms within ECOWAS to strengthen collective security frameworks and rapid response mechanisms ● Establish continuous intelligence-sharing and joint operations among member states to combat terrorism, banditry, and transnational crime ● Align regional policies and resources to respond quickly to security threats across borders
p. 1 HIS ANSWER, GIVEN DIRECTLY His answer, given directly 2026-10-08 ›
I have the experience to lead this country, and that is what Nigeria needs now. I have done this work before. Nigerians elected me Vice President twice, in 1999 and 2003, and in government I led the reforms that returned loss-making government companies to private hands and opened our economy to private investment. I served Nigeria in the Customs Service from 1969 to 1986, and I have built businesses that today employ thousands of Nigerians, so I know how jobs are created.
The two issues Nigerians care about most are restoring vitality to our economy and securing the country. My plan is clear: end insecurity, bring down the cost of living, create opportunities for every Nigerian, and uphold the rule of law.
Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to be who I am today. If the presidents we have had offered better leadership, I would have retired my ambition. But I cannot, in good conscience, do that when I know I have better ideas to offer. The constitution allows a four-year term, and a second term is not an automatic entitlement. I am in this race to serve.
p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-11 ›
I have said that we need a single six-year term for President, to be rotated among the six geo-political zones, this would prevent two or more zones from alternating the presidency among themselves to the exclusion of others. I have also called for the legislative arm to protect you from executive excesses, rather than become a puppet in the President's hands. And I believe a President should need 50% +1 of valid votes cast, with a run-off if no one meets that bar, so your mandate is real.
p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-11 ›
My interest in being President is to serve this country. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to become who I am, and if God has given me the grace to return that benefit, I should not shy away from the call to duty. If other leaders had offered better quality of leadership, I would have retired this ambition long ago. But I know I have better ideas to offer, and in good conscience I cannot step back from that. I am in this race, persistently, to offer service to Nigeria.