ADC Challenges APC: Show Court Judgment Convicting Atiku

By George Omagbemi

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has hit back at the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its latest attack on former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, accusing APC spokesman Felix Morka of attempting to turn allegations into convictions.

The council described Morka’s intervention as a “grubby attempt to conduct a trial by insult”, insisting that allegations made in political statements cannot substitute for a court judgment.

The response followed a statement by Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary, in which he questioned Atiku’s suitability for the presidency and cited controversies surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, Siemens bribery allegations, the William Jefferson case, the PTDF funds controversy and a 2010 US Senate investigation.

Reacting through his statement, ADC Director of Strategic Communications Phrank Shaibu challenged Morka to identify any court that had convicted Atiku of corruption and produce the judgment.

According to Shaibu, the APC spokesman could raise questions about Atiku’s record but should not present allegations as though they were established convictions.

The campaign council also argued that Nigerians were more concerned about the rising cost of food, fuel, transportation and electricity than political exchanges between the two parties.

The ADC further turned the APC’s criticism of Atiku’s handling of public funds back toward the record of President Bola Tinubu, raising questions about the United States forfeiture proceedings involving $460,000 from an account in Tinubu’s name. That aspect of the ADC response reflects the council’s political counterargument and should be distinguished from an independent finding of wrongdoing.

The exchange represents another escalation in the political confrontation between the APC and ADC as preparations for the 2027 presidential election intensify.

For the ADC campaign council, however, the central issue remains whether allegations against its candidate can properly be treated as convictions without a court judgment.