‘Choose A Winner, Not A Learner’ — Atiku Tells ADC Delegates Ahead Presidential Primaries

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) must field a ‘winner’ and not an ‘experiment’ candidate for the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigeria cannot afford what he described as a “learning-on-the-job presidency.”

Atiku, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the opposition party must prioritise competence, experience and national acceptability in choosing its presidential candidate.

The former vice president said the country was currently battling economic hardship, insecurity, mounting debt profile and institutional collapse, stressing that the next president must possess the experience and capacity to govern effectively from the first day in office.

“At a time when Nigeria is bleeding from every pore, crippled by economic hardship, insecurity, rising debt, institutional failure, and deepening hopelessness — the question before the ADC is simple: who has the capacity not merely to campaign, but to govern effectively from day one?” the statement read.

“This is not a season for political experimentation. Nigeria cannot afford a learning-on-the-job presidency.”

Atiku said the leadership challenges confronting Nigeria required “tested judgment, executive temperament, economic literacy, and the ability to build bridges across every region, faith, and demographic.”

According to him, the country needs “someone who has negotiated globally, created jobs through enterprise, managed national crises, built coalitions, and consistently articulated a practical roadmap for economic recovery and national renewal.”

The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate urged delegates of the ADC to focus on electability and governance capacity rather than sentiment.

“At this defining moment, ADC delegates must ask themselves a simple but profound question: do we want to make a statement, or do we want to make a President?” he asked.

“Nigeria is not merely facing economic hardship; it is grappling with the devastating consequences of catastrophic economic choices, deepening insecurity, and institutional decay. This is not the season for sentiment or political experimentation.”

He also appeared to dismiss candidates relying heavily on online popularity, saying elections and governance required more than “social media enthusiasm.”

“Elections are not won on social media enthusiasm alone. Governance is not performance art. The presidency is not a platform for improvisation.

“The ADC must present to Nigerians its strongest, most credible, most prepared candidate, not merely its loudest,” he stated.

Atiku further cited his tenure as vice president between 1999 and 2007 as evidence of his readiness for the presidency, pointing to economic reforms, privatisation policies and fiscal discipline implemented during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“The economic reforms that helped reposition Nigeria, the privatisation drive that opened sectors, the fiscal discipline that contributed to debt relief, and the governance reforms of that era were not accidents,” he said.

“They were products of leadership, competence, and courage.”

The former vice president also argued that defeating an incumbent government required strategy, political structures and coalition-building capacity.

“This is a defining election. The party needs a candidate with national acceptability, political resilience, tested structures, and the capacity to unify disparate interests into one winning coalition,” he added.

Atiku concluded by urging party delegates to “rise above narrow calculations” and choose “the path of competence.”

“History will remember this moment. “The choice before ADC delegates is not merely about ambition. It is about destiny.

“Nigeria deserves rescue, not rhetoric,” the statement added.