Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has declared that he will remain on the ballot, insisting that a recent court ruling does not reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
In a statement issued on Friday, 6 November 2026, from Sokoto, Atiku accused the ruling party of using political pressure, courtroom tactics and manufactured narratives to weaken the opposition and make genuine competition impossible.
“No manipulation, conjecture or concoction can erase our place in this contest,” he said, adding that Nigerians must be allowed to choose their own future.
He criticised those who claim to have won over thirty-two governors from other parties, arguing that a confident government would have no reason to fear a free and fair contest.
He alleged that efforts were also under way to compromise the voters’ register with AI-generated photographs, false names and fictitious identities, which he described as a calculated push towards a one-party state.
Atiku also attacked the administration’s economic record. He said the government removed the fuel subsidy overnight without a plan to protect citizens, presided over a steep fall in the value of the naira, and allowed food prices to climb beyond the reach of ordinary families.
According to him, factories and small businesses have closed, young people are leaving the country in search of opportunity, and bandits and kidnappers continue to terrorise communities.
“Market stalls stand empty, and feeding a family has become a daily struggle,” he said, urging Nigerians not to lose heart or give up before reaching the polls.
He described the vote as the people’s power and said citizens would use it to take the country back.
Addressing his supporters directly, the ADC candidate said he was not going anywhere. “No threat, blackmail or court manoeuvre will make me abandon you or the cause we share,” he stated.
Atiku pledged that his campaign, which centres on the cost of living, would not be silenced or derailed. He called on supporters to remain calm, united and resolute, and said he would resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
“Our democracy must remain open to more than one party and more than one voice,” he said, challenging those in power to meet the opposition at the polls if they believe in their numbers and record.
He ended with a pointed message to President Bola Tinubu, saying he cannot use the courts to escape the judgment of Nigerians at the ballot box.
Atiku served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007.
