A former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has claimed that supporters of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, received what he described as a message from the grave of former President Muhammadu Buhari directing them to back the former vice-president in the 2027 election.
Dalung, an ADC chieftain, made the controversial claim on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he also interpreted the recent visit of Buhari’s widow, Aisha, to Atiku in Abuja as a political endorsement.
He said the visit indicated that the votes Buhari secured during his political career had shifted to Atiku, suggesting that the former vice-president had gained the support of the late president’s political followers.
“Last month, you saw when the wife of the late president visited Atiku in Abuja. The message she took for any politician to know is that the 12 million votes have been successfully transferred. We have had a phone call from the grave of Buhari that we should vote Atiku,” Dalung said.
The former minister further argued that Atiku had inherited the political networks of Buhari and another former president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, giving the ADC candidate a formidable presence across the country.
He expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would struggle to defeat Atiku in the next presidential election, even if the ruling party allegedly took steps to frustrate the opposition's activities.
“I am confident that, as events are unfolding, Tinubu, even if he would take over the ADC secretariat and stop the ADC from campaigning, cannot defeat Atiku Abubakar in 2027,” he said.
Dalung also questioned Tinubu’s electoral strength, describing the President as vulnerable ahead of the 2027 contest.
“I have never seen a weak president in an election like Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If you drag anybody on the street and put him on a ballot at a contest with Tinubu, he will defeat him,” he added.
