Atiku Launches Sokoto Campaign With Fuel Subsidy and Border Pledges

Atiku Abubakar launched the African Democratic Congress presidential campaign in Sokoto on November 4, promising to restore petrol subsidies, allow legitimate trade through Nigeria’s land borders and tackle insecurity if elected in 2027. The presidential candidate linked border commerce to livelihoods in northern communities and better security to farmers returning to their fields. “I will open all the land borders,” Atiku told supporters. He urged them to vote for the ADC and protect their ballots through the counting process. The pledges were delivered at Wednesday’s rally, where party leaders presented the presidential ticket and the party’s candidate for governor of Sokoto State. ADC chairman David Mark identified Atiku and Rotimi Amaechi as the presidential ticket and said crowds had slowed the delegation’s trip from Sultan Abubakar III International Airport to the rally. Amaechi urged voters to judge living costs and the administration’s performance rather than religion or ethnicity. Mark also handed the party’s flag to governorship candidate Muhammad Manir Dan’Iya. The border pledge follows an earlier government dispute over Atiku’s description of border policy. In an August 29 statement, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria’s borders were not generally closed. He listed crossings reopened in 2020, 2022 and February 2026, while saying some northern crossings remained subject to security restrictions. That statement predates the Sokoto launch.