Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticised leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over what he described as attempts to seek foreign validation and intervention ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
Sani, in a post on his X account on Wednesday, urged the ADC and its presidential candidates to concentrate on winning the confidence of Nigerian voters rather than expending political energy on efforts directed at the United States and European institutions.
His comments came amid renewed political exchanges over efforts linked to Atiku’s camp to draw international attention to issues concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his political administration.
“The ADC flag bearers should focus and spend their time in seeking for votes from the Nigerians they want to lead; and not seeking for validation from President Trump or the EU,” Sani wrote.
He further criticised what he regarded as an excessive reliance on foreign institutions, saying opposition politicians should convince Nigerians about their policies and demonstrate how they intend to govern differently.
“They should convince Nigerians on what they can do differently, instead of wasting their time, scanning graveyards and exhuming corpses in the US, in search of talisman and treasures for political advantage in Nigeria,” he added.
The former senator’s remarks come against the backdrop of a growing political confrontation between Atiku’s camp and the Tinubu administration over issues surrounding the President’s past legal history in the United States.
In April, Atiku engaged Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. under a reported $1.2 million, 12-month agreement. Documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that the firm was engaged to strengthen Atiku’s standing in U.S. policy circles and counter narratives associated with the Nigerian government.
The development subsequently triggered a political backlash in Nigeria, with the Presidency accusing Atiku of attempting to internationalise domestic political disputes. The Presidency specifically criticised efforts by Atiku-linked lobbyists to draw the attention of President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department and members of Congress to a long-standing U.S. civil forfeiture matter involving Tinubu.
Atiku’s camp, however, has argued that questions concerning Tinubu’s past should be subjected to public scrutiny.
An Atiku aide, Paul Ibe, previously defended the lobbying effort and argued that Nigerians had a right to know more about records relating to the U.S. case.
Sani’s intervention therefore adds another dimension to the increasingly heated political debate as Nigeria formally enters the 2027 electioneering season.
Nigeria’s presidential campaign season commenced on Wednesday, with Tinubu seeking a second term against a fragmented opposition that includes Atiku, now the presidential candidate of the ADC. International reports have described the opposition as divided despite earlier efforts to form a broad coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC has emerged as a major opposition platform following the movement of several prominent politicians into the party. Atiku adopted the ADC as his political platform after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, while the party has faced internal leadership disputes and legal challenges over its structure and recognition.
The party’s political fortunes have also been affected by legal battles. In June, a Federal High Court ordered the deregistration of the ADC and several other parties, although the party rejected the decision and vowed to challenge it through the appellate courts.
Against this background, Sani’s message appears to be a call for the opposition to shift the centre of its campaign from international pressure to domestic political mobilisation.
His argument is that the 2027 election will ultimately be decided by Nigerian voters, making grassroots engagement, policy presentation and public persuasion more important than attempts to obtain endorsements or interventions from foreign governments and institutions.
For Sani, however, the message is clear: rather than looking to Washington, Brussels or other foreign capitals for political advantage, opposition parties should return to the Nigerian electorate and make their case directly to the people they seek to govern.