Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed the possibility of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) adopting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

Bashir, who has grown increasingly vocal in his political commentary since aligning with the ADC, made the statement on Thursday via a post on (formerly Twitter) while responding to criticism of a potential Atiku candidacy.

A user, @Osi_Sauve, had posted, “If your presidential candidate is Atiku then you will woefully lose. Just stating the obvious.” In reply, Bashir insisted that Atiku would not be on the ADC’s ticket.

“It won’t be Atiku. I believe Atiku should be the statesman and the Godfather of this historic changing precipice of our nation,” Bashir wrote.

He urged the former Vice President to assume a guiding role in national politics rather than returning to the ballot for another presidential contest.

El-Rufai also suggested that a presidential ticket pairing a popular candidate from the South-East with a strong and widely accepted Northern running mate would be a winning formula.

“They are easily defeated by my calculus with that strategy,” he wrote.

Although he did not name potential candidates, Bashir’s comment adds to the growing intrigue surrounding possible alliances within opposition circles, especially following recent speculations of high-level meetings involving Atiku, Governor Seyi Makinde, and former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.