Dalung Blasts Atiku’s Primary: “It Fell Below My Expectations

Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has expressed dissatisfaction with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flagbearer, describing the process as one that failed to meet his expectations.

Speaking during a podcast interview monitored by Ireporter Online, Dalung, who served as chairman of the party’s presidential primary election committee, admitted that he was not proud of the exercise, insisting that the coalition should have delivered a more transparent and credible process.

According to him, despite the outcome, the coalition remains intact, although it no longer enjoys the same strength and momentum it had while preparing for the 2027 general elections. He stressed that after nearly three decades of uninterrupted democracy, political parties should have moved beyond allegations of manipulated primaries and result falsification.

Dalung maintained that as an electoral official during the exercise, he witnessed incidents that fell short of democratic standards, adding that he had expected the ADC to set a higher benchmark for internal party elections.

In a separate interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, the former minister also launched a scathing attack on the Federal Government over the worsening security situation across the country.

He argued that while security agencies possess the technological capacity to quickly identify and arrest government critics, they have failed to deploy similar capabilities against terrorists and bandits who openly operate and display large sums of money in forest hideouts.

Dalung questioned the government’s repeated calls for national unity in the fight against terrorism, insisting that Nigerians are willing to confront insecurity but that the authorities appear to lack the political determination required to end the crisis.

He further accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of failing to provide effective solutions to the nation’s security challenges, describing the situation as deeply troubling.

Using Plateau State as an example, Dalung said many highways have become unsafe, noting that beyond the threat posed by terrorists, displaced communities, frustrated by prolonged attacks, have resorted to blocking roads and attacking vehicles they perceive to belong to political leaders.