The Senior Political Assistant to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Demola Olarenwaju, has said the party expects no legal or political obstacle to its participation in the 2027 general election.
NEWSNGR reports that Olarenwaju, who spoke in an interview with News Central TV on Wednesday, said the presidential contest should be decided by Nigerian voters rather than by court judgments.
According to him, all political parties and candidates should be allowed to campaign freely and present their programmes to the electorate.
“In a normal democratic setting, we don’t expect any hurdles to face. We believe that the path is clear. When campaigns start, let’s go into the field and let Nigerians know what the candidates have, and let them vote for whoever they want,” he said.
The political aide maintained that the 2027 presidential election must be settled at the polling units and not through judicial intervention.
“The 2027 election should be decided by the ballot and not by the court. It should be decided on the fate of democracy and not by any judicial ruling or judgment,” Olarenwaju said.
He added that the ADC was asking Nigerians and political actors to uphold the rule of law throughout the electoral process.
According to him, the ruling party should have no reason to prevent a fair contest if it is confident in its performance in office.
He stated, “If the ruling party believes that it has performed creditably well to win the next election, then it should allow others to go to the field, let the contest play out and let Nigerians vote for whoever they want.
“If they defeat us, that’s fine. But if we defeat them, they need to own it and say, ‘Yes, we have been defeated and voted out by Nigerians.’”
Olarenwaju expressed confidence that the ADC would appear on the ballot in 2027, saying the party did not anticipate further challenges to its participation.
“So, we do not expect any further hurdles in any way,” he said.
He also urged politicians who previously left the party because of fears over court cases to return and help build a united opposition ahead of the election.
Olarenwaju added, “However, I would like to say to Nigerians that ADC will be on the ballot, and those who left the party before now in fear of judicial judgments, now is the right time to come back.
“Let’s have a single opposition to face the ruling party.”
