Adamawa ADC candidate tells Atiku Abubakar to stop interfering in party affairs

Alhaji Suleiman Omar, the embattled governorship candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State, has directly called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to cease his involvement in the party's state-level activities.

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I have read with shock the statement attributed to former Vice President and national leader of the ADC, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, purportedly presenting Alhaji Modibbo as the ADC gubernatorial candidate for Adamawa State.

Omar asserted that a statement attributed to Abubakar, identifying Alhaji Modibbo as the ADC's gubernatorial candidate for Adamawa State, is unconstitutional. Omar insists he is the authentic candidate, having emerged victorious in a primary election supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and witnessed by party members and the public. Modibbo reportedly came in second place.

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Ordinarily, such a post might have been dismissed as another episode of political mischief. Coming, however, from a former Vice President, a presidential candidate and national leader of our party and a man who publicly identifies himself as a democrat, it assumes a gravity that cannot be ignored.

Speaking at a press conference in Yola on Friday, Omar expressed shock at Abubakar's statement, noting its gravity given his position as a former Vice President, presidential candidate, and national leader of the ADC. Omar respectfully but firmly urged Abubakar to withdraw the statement and refrain from any actions that could undermine the party's established processes and a court case currently underway.

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I therefore respectfully but firmly call on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to withdraw the said post and refrain from any action capable of undermining the lawful process already undertaken by the party and that is currently before the court.

Omar emphasized that leadership requires restraint, fairness, and respect for due process, especially from those aspiring to national leadership. He stated that the mandate belongs to the people and cannot be appropriated by an individual. He has sought a court injunction to prevent INEC from accepting any substitution of his name, with relevant legal processes served on INEC and the party at both national and state levels.

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Leadership demands restraint, fairness and respect for due process, particularly from those who aspire to lead the country. The mandate belongs to the people who gave it. It cannot be appropriated by an individual.