By Gbolahan Salman
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has promised to restore fuel subsidy, reopen Nigeria’s land borders for legitimate trade and end insecurity if elected president in 2027.
Atiku made the promises on Wednesday at the flag-off of his presidential campaign in Sokoto, where thousands of supporters defied alleged attempts to frustrate the rally and turned out to receive him.
Addressing the crowd, the former Vice-President said his administration would prioritise security, economic recovery and cross-border trade to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
He particularly promised to reopen the country’s land borders to enable residents of border communities in the North to resume legitimate commercial activities with neighbouring countries.
“I will open all the land borders for our people to do legitimate business with our brothers across the border. We will restore subsidy back into our fuel and do everything humanly possible to bring an end to insecurity so as to ensure our people can go back to their farms,” he said.
Atiku also urged Nigerians to vote massively for the ADC and protect their votes during the 2027 general elections, insisting that the party would resist any attempt to manipulate the outcome.
“We should all come out, vote massively, protect our votes and make sure our votes are counted and announced. We will not allow what happened in the last elections to happen anymore,” he said.
The ADC candidate described Sokoto as a strategic centre of historical and political significance in Northern Nigeria and West Africa, noting that the state was the seat of the Sokoto Caliphate, which exercised influence across a large part of the region before colonial rule.
He expressed appreciation to the party leadership in the state for ensuring that the campaign rally held, alleging that the ruling party had made efforts to frustrate the event.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, said the massive turnout demonstrated that Sokoto residents were prepared to support the party in the 2027 elections.
Mark, who said the journey from the airport to the rally venue took more than three hours because of the crowd, described the reception as a demonstration of the party’s growing popularity in the state.
He described the Atiku-Amaechi ticket as a combination capable of addressing Nigeria’s security and economic challenges.
The former Senate President also accused the Tinubu administration of worsening the country’s challenges, saying Nigerians needed a leadership capable of reversing the situation.
The party’s vice-presidential candidate, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, said the 2027 election should be determined by the economic realities confronting Nigerians rather than religious or ethnic considerations.
“Today, there is no religion in our politics, there is no ethnicity. It’s about the cost of living,” Amaechi said.
He challenged Nigerians to assess the Tinubu administration based on their living conditions, particularly the rising cost of living and the government’s response to economic hardship.
Also addressing the rally, former Sokoto State Governor and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, called on Nigerians to vote out the APC, accusing the Tinubu administration of failing to address insecurity, hunger, poverty and infrastructure deficits.
Tambuwal argued that the 2027 election should be about delivering effective leadership rather than supporting politicians because of their political alliances or regional affiliations.
“It is not about supporting our own leaders. It is about delivering leadership to this country,” he said. He urged Nigerians to rally behind the ADC, expressing confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the 2027 elections.
The rally also featured the presentation of the ADC flag to the party’s Sokoto State governorship candidate, Muhammad Manir Dan’Iya, by the national chairman.
The Atiku-led delegation, which arrived at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport shortly after 1pm, did not reach the campaign venue until a few minutes before 5pm, despite the distance being less than 10 kilometres.
Thousands of supporters had gathered at the airport and along adjoining roads leading to the venue to welcome the former Vice-President, creating a massive crowd that accompanied the delegation into the city.
