2027: I’m Not Proud of the Primaries That Produced Atiku, Says Former Buhari Minister

Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development Solomon Dalung has expressed disappointment with the primary that selected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.

Dalung voiced his concerns in a podcast interview hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.

He criticized the ADC’s primary process, saying it did not meet his expectations and that the party should have avoided any appearance of rigging or result falsification.

“I’m not proud of the presidential primary that produced Atiku Abubakar because it fell below my expectations,” Dalung said. “But, of course, that is what we have now, and it is not good enough because I expected that we in the ADC would have done much better than this.”

He added that, as an electoral officer, he had witnessed the events and believed the party should have progressed beyond such issues after 26–27 years of democracy.

“After 26–27 years of democracy, we should not be talking about rigging of primaries or falsification of results,” he said.

The ADC’s recent primary election ultimately nominated Atiku as its candidate and flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.