A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has declared that no single individual will decide who will be elected President of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2027 general election, expressing deep concern over a recent statement credited to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, wherein he reportedly boasted that former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would never become President of the country. Eze, in a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, described Wike’s claim that he possesses the political structure to ensure such a presidential ambition fails again in 2027 as unfortunate, undemocratic, arrogant, and reflective of a dangerous mindset that seeks to elevate one individual above the collective will of millions of Nigerians. The ADC chieftain stated that in a democracy, no single politician, regardless of the position he occupies or his perceived influence, possesses the power to determine who becomes President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and subsequently challenged the FCT minister to explain to Nigerians the exact nature of the “structure” he constantly boasts about. He insisted that Nigerians have a right to know whether Wike is referring to a legitimate political structure built on the confidence, goodwill, and support of the electorate or a structure allegedly anchored on the manipulation of state institutions, intimidation of political opponents, and the deployment of security agencies. Eze further noted that the unprecedented hardship, hunger, insecurity, rising cost of living, and economic uncertainty currently confronting Nigerians have fundamentally altered the political consciousness of the electorate ahead of the next polls, meaning the citizens themselves will ultimately reject any form of institutional manipulation or self-appointed political godfathers at the ballot box.
