Ambassador Abbas made the position known in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Okpani Jacob Onjewu Dickson, titled “No Secret Substitution of My Presidential Mandate: Protect the Integrity of the ADP.”
According to him, the alleged plot is being driven by pressure from a presidential candidate of an opposition party, aimed at producing a single consensus candidate from Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I have become aware of serious political pressure allegedly being mounted on the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party, Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani, by a Presidential candidate from an opposition political party, with the apparent objective of secretly substituting my name as the substantive Presidential Candidate of the ADP in the 2027 General Elections,” he stated.
He described the alleged move as an attempt to silence competing democratic voices through political manipulation rather than through the ballot box.
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“Any attempt to secretly substitute, withdraw, replace or otherwise compromise my candidacy without my express consent and without strict adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the constitution and regulations of the ADP, and applicable INEC procedures would constitute a grave assault on democratic principles and the rights of our members and supporters,” Abbas declared.
The ADP flagbearer insisted that he emerged through the constitutionally and democratically recognised processes of the party, stressing that his mandate is neither personal property nor a political bargaining chip.
“My mandate is not a personal possession of any individual, neither is it a political bargaining chip to be traded behind closed doors,” he warned.
Abbas further cautioned that Nigeria’s democracy must not be sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition, insisting: “Nigeria’s democracy cannot be held hostage by the personal ambitions of any individual or political establishment.”
He therefore called on the National Chairman, Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani, the National Working Committee, the Board of Trustees, State Chairmen, party leaders, and all genuine stakeholders of the ADP to resist pressure, intimidation, and personal interests, and to safeguard the integrity of the party.
“The ADP must not become an instrument for the ambition of any individual, regardless of how powerful or influential that individual may be. Our party belongs to its members. Our mandate belongs to the people. And our democracy belongs to Nigeria,” he emphasised.
In addition, the presidential hopeful urged the party’s leadership to preserve all official records relating to the presidential primary, nomination, submission, and communication with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning against any alteration outside the lawful and transparent processes prescribed by the party’s constitution and Nigerian electoral law.
Abbas reiterated his commitment to democratic principles, insisting that the ADP’s presidential ticket will not be traded away in backroom deals but defended in line with the will of party members and the Nigerian people.
