The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has promised Nigerians that its candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, will run a physically present and responsive presidency if he is elected and sworn in on May 29, 2027.

Director of Media and Publicity for the Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Atiku Unity Movement, led by Francis Eburuwe.

He said Atiku would not be an “absentee president” who is unavailable when the challenges facing Nigerians demand presidential attention, in an apparent swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips.

Ologbondiyan said Atiku had consistently shown an understanding of Nigeria’s economic and social difficulties and had proposed policy responses to them. He pointed back to the 2023 campaign, when Atiku called for a phased withdrawal of the fuel subsidy so the process would not place excessive pressure on citizens.

The spokesman argued that developments over the past three years had reinforced the need for a presidency that is accessible and able to make timely decisions in the national interest, warning that the country could not afford uncertainty over who was effectively running the government at critical moments.

He added that Atiku’s commitment to governance would centre on tackling the country’s economic challenges, improving citizens’ welfare and restoring confidence in public institutions. Ologbondiyan also referenced Atiku’s recent economic proposals, including a production based intervention for petroleum products refined locally, with a fixed spending cap, National Assembly approval and independent audits, aimed at easing the burden of rising energy and living costs.

For its part, the Atiku Unity Movement said it was fully committed to the Atiku project and would take the message of his candidacy to Nigerians across the country, expressing confidence that his administration would address the nation’s challenges.