By Abdulqadir Muhammad Alhaji
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has warned Nigerians not to rely solely on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure their votes count in the 2027 general election.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Mr Atiku said Nigerians must turn out in large numbers to vote and remain vigilant throughout the electoral process to ensure that the candidates they vote for are the ones ultimately declared winners.
“INEC will not do what it is supposed to do because the government in power appointed those running it,” Mr Atiku said, urging citizens to protect their votes and ensure that the outcome reflects their choice.
On regional integration, the ADC candidate said he would work to bring Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso back into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) if elected president. He argued that the countries should not leave the regional bloc simply because their governments came to power through military coups, saying Nigeria should instead cooperate with them to strengthen regional security.
Mr Atiku also criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration over the country’s economic challenges, questioning what the government had achieved with the money it had reportedly accumulated. He cited the figure of ₦30 trillion and argued that such resources should have been used to reduce poverty and unemployment among young people and address insecurity.
On the worsening security situation, Mr Atiku said he would seek to resolve the crisis within one year of assuming office, if elected. He promised to increase the number of security personnel, provide them with adequate equipment and invest heavily in youth empowerment, arguing that unemployment was one of the factors driving many young people into criminal activities.
He said tackling unemployment, poverty and insecurity together would form a major part of his administration’s strategy to restore stability and improve living conditions across Nigeria.
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