By Luminous Jannamike
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Saturday inaugurated state coordinators of the RiseUpNaija Movement, RUN, launching an ambitious drive to mobilise 20 million votes for his African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidacy ahead of the 2027 general election.
The launch marked one of the clearest signs yet that Atiku’s campaign is shifting from coalition-building to grassroots mobilisation, with the movement unveiling an aggressive strategy to build structures from the national level down to every polling unit across the country.
The RiseUpNaija Movement comprises young men and women drawn from the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP and other political platforms.
Addressing the leadership retreat in Abuja, Atiku urged young Nigerians to reject vote-buying, defend the electoral process and vote for competence, saying his presidential ambition was driven not by the privileges of office but by a desire to build a nation where leadership is accountable, institutions are strong and opportunities are available to all.
“I stand before you today not merely as a former Vice President or an elder statesman, but as a lifelong democrat who has never stopped believing that Nigeria can become the great nation its people deserve,” Atiku said.
Describing young Nigerians as the country’s greatest asset, he argued that poor leadership had denied many of them the opportunities they deserved.
“I see brilliant young people leaving Nigeria, not because they have stopped loving their country, but because they no longer believe their country loves them back,” he said.
The former vice president also warned against vote-buying, insisting that active citizen participation would outweigh money politics.
He added: “If millions of young Nigerians participate peacefully, vote responsibly and defend the integrity of the process, no amount of money can overcome the collective will of the people. Your vote is far more valuable than any amount of money a politician can offer.”
Speaking afterwards, RUN Convener Kashim Ibrahim-Imam tasked the newly inaugurated coordinators with building a nationwide grassroots network capable of delivering victory for the ADC in 2027.
“Our target is to have 20 million active voters to deliver our candidate in 2027,” Imam declared.
He challenged the coordinators to intensify membership registration and establish structures across the country, announcing a one-month competition among states, with a special prize for the state that records the highest membership.
“We must have a presence in every polling unit. Our target is to have at least 100 members in every polling unit,” he added.
Imam said the target would translate to at least 17.6 million registered members across Nigeria’s roughly 176,000 polling units, adding that Adamawa currently leads the movement’s membership drive.
Earlier, Chairman of the RiseUpNaija Coordinating Council, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, said the movement had grown from a small gathering at the residence of its founder, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, into an organisation with structures in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Our responsibility is very clear. We must build an organisation that is active not only at the national level but in every state, every local government, every ward and ultimately every polling unit across Nigeria,” Yakasai said.
He said the movement’s support for Atiku was based on principle, not personality, arguing that Nigeria needed competent leadership, economic recovery, national unity and improved security as members prepared to take the campaign to every ward and polling unit across the country.
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