Only ADC Can Rescue Nigeria — Atiku Declares at Taraba Office Unveiling

By Emmanuel Kwada 

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is the only political party capable of rescuing Nigeria from its deepening economic hardship and worsening insecurity, as he formally inaugurated the party’s new state secretariat in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

Speaking shortly after cutting the tape to open the ultra-modern ADC office along Hammanruwa Way, the former Vice President, who officially defected to the party on Monday, said his extensive experience across major political platforms had convinced him that neither the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) possesses the vision or capacity to address the country’s challenges.

“I and many of us here have tasted APC, we have tasted PDP, we have tasted virtually all the parties in this country, and we have seen that none of them has what it takes to take Nigeria out of the present quagmire,” Atiku told a mammoth crowd of party faithful, youths, and women groups.

The Waziri Adamawa’s defection comes exactly 17 months before the 2027 general elections and less than five months after he parted ways with the PDP on July 16, 2025, citing irreconcilable differences within the opposition party he helped nurture for over two decades.

Urging residents of Taraba State to reject what he described as “deception from failed platforms,” Atiku charged citizens to participate massively in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, insisting that only a strong ADC presence at the polls can guarantee meaningful change.

“Do not allow anybody to deceive you with any other party, because we have tasted other political parties and they brought nothing but insecurity, hunger, poverty, and unemployment,” he said.

“The youths and women should know that we are doing this for them to have a better future. I am holding on to their promise,” the former Vice President added.

He expressed confidence that the ADC would sweep Taraba State and form the next federal government in 2027, declaring: “ADC will win Taraba State; ADC will win Nigeria as the only reliable political party.”

Atiku also charged party members to uphold the ADC with integrity, stressing that the new state secretariat symbolises the party’s readiness to offer Nigerians a credible alternative.

The event was attended by the national leadership of the ADC, governorship and National Assembly candidates, as well as thousands of supporters who thronged the venue in party-branded attire.

Political analysts say Atiku’s move to the relatively smaller ADC marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 polls and could trigger fresh realignments among disenchanted politicians from both the APC and PDP.