The opposition Action Democratic Party (ADP) has dismissed suggestions that its newly nominated presidential candidate, Aliyu Bin Abass, could serve as a placeholder for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.

Bin Abass, a close ally of Atiku, emerged through a consensus arrangement at the party’s 2026 National Convention held in Abuja, where delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ratified his candidacy after extensive consultations among party leaders, aspirants and stakeholders.

His emergence comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections and has fuelled speculation within opposition circles over the strategic calculations behind the ADP’s early presidential nomination.

Some political observers have suggested that the ADP may be positioning itself as an alternative platform for opposition forces should legal disputes surrounding the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) affect the party’s ability to present candidates in the next general election.

However, the ADP dismissed the claims, insisting there was no basis for suggestions that Bin Abass would surrender the party’s ticket to Atiku.

When contacted, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Sani Dawop, described the reports as unfounded.

“I don’t know anything about that. I’m sure this is beer-parlour rumours,” Dawop said.

In his acceptance speech at the convention held in Abuja at the weekend, Bin Abass described his emergence as the beginning of a new chapter in Nigeria’s political history, anchored on national renewal, inclusive governance, economic transformation and youth empowerment.

He assured Nigerians that the journey toward a stronger, more prosperous and united country had begun.

Meanwhile, chieftain of the Accord Party (AP), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has emerged as the party’s preferred presidential candidate following the successful conduct of affirmation primaries held across several states of the federation.

The exercise, which recorded an impressive turnout of party members and supporters, saw Olawepo-Hashim secure overwhelming affirmative votes, affirming his position as the party’s standard-bearer for the 2027 presidential election.

Although he was unopposed going into the primaries, the exercise was conducted to allow party faithful to formally endorse his candidature through a democratic affirmation process.

Results received from participating states as of the time of filing this report showed that Olawepo-Hashim garnered a total of 423,902 affirmative votes.

A breakdown of the votes indicated that Jigawa State recorded the highest figure with 198,200 votes, followed by Kano State with 124,101 votes. Nasarawa State delivered 47,309 votes, while Kebbi State returned 46,852 votes. Kwara State contributed 3,348 votes, while Lagos State recorded 4,548 affirmative votes in support of the candidate.

Party officials described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and reflective of the confidence members have in Olawepo-Hashim’s leadership and vision for the country.

Speaking after the exercise, supporters hailed the outcome as a strong signal of the party’s readiness to mobilise nationwide ahead of the general election, expressing optimism that the Accord Party would offer Nigerians a credible alternative.