Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that he will not participate in any presidential debates ahead of the 2027 general elections unless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are present on stage.
​The declaration was made in an official press statement released on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, by Atiku’s campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Okonkwo criticized the trend of organizing presidential debates that involve only opposition candidates, calling the arrangement “untenable”. He accused the ruling party of intentionally using opposition-only debates as a strategy to instigate infighting among rival candidates while shielding the incumbent administration from public accountability.
As the leader of the opposition coalition, Atiku stated he is “left with no other choice than to make his appearance in any presidential debates conditional on the participation of President Bola Tinubu and the APC,” adding that “there is no hiding place for APC in 2027.”
Beyond setting conditions, the campaign directly challenged President Tinubu to a head-to-head national presidential debate to give Nigerians a side-by-side assessment of the ruling party’s policies versus opposition proposals.
While boycotting opposition-only debate broadcasts, Atiku’s team stated he remains open to engaging voters directly through town hall meetings, media interviews, press conferences, and public interactive forums across the country.
