ADC: Learn from Americans, Reject APC; Atiku Overwhelmed by Massive Crowd at Sokoto Rally
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on Nigerians to draw lessons from Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, where the people voted against the ruling Republican Party, in what is considered a decisive rebuke of the ruling party’s leadership and unpopular economic policies.
In a statement by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the US election outcome demonstrated that the greatest power in any democracy belonged not to the president or the ruling party, but to ordinary citizens armed with their votes.
Meanwhile, ADC Presidential Campaign Council described the reception accorded its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday in Sokoto as a powerful expression of public anger against the President Bola Tinubu administration and the growing support for ADC’s promise to make life affordable again.
ADC stated, “Americans have shown that when politicians become arrogant, when policies punish ordinary people, and when those in power mistake popularity for a permanent licence to govern, the ballot box remains the ultimate instrument of accountability.
“American voters understand something Nigerians must also learn: elections are about the welfare of the citizens, not sentiments, political loyalties or personality cults. No leader is bigger than the people, and no political party is entitled to power forever.”
ADC stated that Nigerians had endured years of unprecedented economic hardship, worsening insecurity, and disappearing opportunities under the Tinubu-led APC government, yet they were being asked to reward the same party with another mandate.
The party said, in the statement, “We cannot continue to complain about the cost of living while voting for a president who has made life unaffordable. We cannot demand security while rewarding failure. We cannot earnestly yearn for change while sustaining the very political system responsible for our collective impoverishment.
“History beckons in 2027. Our voters’ cards must become instruments of change, not souvenirs of citizenship. Nigerians must turn out massively and vote for their own interests.
“The ADC and its candidates are offering Nigerians a clear alternative: Make Nigeria Affordable Again. Make Nigeria Safe Again. Give Nigerians Jobs Again.
“If Americans can use their votes to demand better, Nigerians can do the same. In 2027, let our votes speak louder than the APC-induced suffering.”
Atiku Overwhelmed by Sokoto Rally Crowd
ADC Presidential Campaign Council described the reception accorded Atiku in Sokoto as a powerful expression of public anger against the Tinubu administration and growing support for the party.
The ADC campaign was flagged off in Sokoto before a mammoth crowd that lined the route from Sultan Muhammad III International Airport to the party’s state secretariat.
According to a statement by Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, the motorcade took three and a half hours to reach the rally venue as men and women, young and old, including mothers, gathered to welcome and accompany Atiku.
Shaibu said in several parts of the city, work came to a standstill, people left their offices and abandoned their daily activities to join the procession and attend the rally.
He said that was not a crowd assembled by inducement. It was a spontaneous turnout by Nigerians struggling with the cost of food, transport, fuel, and other basic necessities, he said.
Shaibu explained that attempts to frustrate the rally only deepened public resentment against the APC-controlled Sokoto State government, which he said denied ADC access to public facilities requested for the campaign flag-off, and placed obstacles in the path of the party’s legitimate campaign activities.
He said the federal government and its APC allies should understand that denying people a venue could not suppress their political choices.
Shaibu stated that in Sokoto, those efforts backfired because the people came out in even greater numbers and made their voices heard.
He explained that at the rally, Atiku reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the cost-of-living crisis and restoring hope to households and businesses.
Shaibu said the ADC presidential candidate’s plan included a targeted, production-based subsidy for qualifying petroleum products refined in Nigeria. By tying support to domestic production, the policy will help bring down the cost of fuel and ease the pressure that high transport and energy costs place on food prices and family budgets, he said.
Shaibu stated, ‘’The ADC message is clear: Nigerians deserve a government that makes life more affordable, supports local production and responds to the hardship people face every day.
“When you have a message that connects with the people, you do not need to rent a crowd. The people show up on their own.”
Tension as Community Guards Allegedly Shoot Two ADC Supporters En Route to Rally
Two persons believed to be supporters of ADC were, allegedly, shot by operatives of Sokoto State Community Guards along the Sokoto–Wurno Road, amid heightened political tension before the party’s presidential campaign rally in the state.
The incident, reportedly, occurred when the operatives barricaded the road linking Sokoto metropolis with the eastern part of the state, forcing vehicles conveying supporters to the rally venue to turn back.
The victims were said to be among those going to attend the campaign rally for the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku, in Sokoto.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the shooting followed an altercation between occupants of a vehicle conveying the supporters and the guards.
The operatives were accused of opening fire during the confrontation, leaving two persons with gunshot injuries. The victims were subsequently rushed to a hospital for medical attention.
A source said it took the intervention of the Civilian JTF in the convoy of Senator Ibrahim Lamido, coordinator of the Sokoto State ADC Presidential Campaign Council, before vehicles were allowed to move through the checkpoint.
The community guards had previously been accused of attacking the ADC governorship candidate, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto.
The latest allegation further heightened concerns over the conduct of security personnel and the need to ensure that political activities were conducted without intimidation or violence.
Sokoto State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, when contacted, said the command had yet to receive information about the alleged shooting, and as such, could not confirm the incident.