Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support any candidate who emerges as the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) flagbearer in the 2027 presidential election.
Mr Abubakar has also engaged a Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., and dismissed claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine the ADC, stating that the party continues to attract members nationwide.
On Wednesday, INEC announced it would cease further communication with the ADC leadership and would not monitor the party’s national convention scheduled for 14th April. The electoral body based this decision on a court ruling, but the ADC rejected the move, accusing INEC of misinterpreting the ruling. The party also vowed to proceed with its planned convention and other activities.
Speaking in an interview with DW Hausa, Mr Abubakar alleged that vested interests were behind the party’s current difficulties, suggesting its growing popularity had made it a target. Regarding the party’s presidential ticket, he affirmed he would fully support whoever wins the selection process. “We will support and endorse whoever emerges as the flagbearer. There are three or four of us (presidential aspirants), aren’t there? In the PDP, more than ten of us contested,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Abubakar has engaged Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., to bolster his reputation in the United States.
Details of the agreement are contained in documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, showing the contract was signed on 9th and 10th March 2026, by the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, and Nigerian politician Fabiyi Oladimeji on behalf of the former Vice-President.
According to the filing, available on the DOJ’s website on Sunday, the contract aims to shape perceptions of Mr Abubakar within U.S. policy circles and counter narratives originating from the Nigerian government. One objective of the engagement is to “counterbalance” the Nigerian government’s “lobbying narratives” in the United States, while also working to “advance understanding” of Mr Abubakar’s “leadership and policy vision” among policymakers.
