2027: Atiku Unveils Citizen Engagement Platform, Receives 1,000 Questions in 30 Minutes
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said his newly launched citizen-engagement platform, Ask AA, received 1,000 questions from Nigerians within 30 minutes of its launch as he steps up preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), disclosed this on Thursday night after unveiling the platform, which is designed to enable Nigerians to engage him directly on his political record, policy proposals and plans for the country.
The initiative provides a channel for citizens to seek clarification on critical national issues, including the economy, insecurity, technology, job creation and the rising cost of living.
The Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, had earlier announced the launch in a statement, explaining that the platform would facilitate direct engagement between Atiku and Nigerians on issues affecting the country.
According to the campaign council, Atiku will personally respond to questions submitted through the portal, with members of his media team assisting in providing answers.
Announcing the initiative on his social media accounts, the former vice president said he developed the platform out of the conviction that leadership requires continuous dialogue between political leaders and the citizens they seek to serve.
“Leadership is a two-way conversation,” he said.
Atiku argued that governance had become distant from ordinary Nigerians, partly because of bureaucratic barriers that limit direct communication between leaders and the public.
“For too long, governance has felt distant—locked behind walls of bureaucracy. But our country’s greatest resource isn’t oil or land; it is our people. If we are going to build the Nigeria of our dreams, we must start by tearing down the walls between leaders and the people,” he said.
He described Ask AA as a platform for promoting transparency, accountability and public participation by allowing Nigerians to question him directly without intermediaries.
“That is why I am launching Ask AA—a direct citizen-engagement platform built for transparency, accountability and dialogue. No filters, no intermediaries,” he added.
The former vice president said the platform would enable citizens to scrutinise his economic record, examine his proposals on technology, security and employment, and contribute ideas on addressing Nigeria’s challenges.
He encouraged Nigerians to submit questions, critique his policy positions and offer recommendations on national development, stressing that a broad range of issues would be open for discussion.
Atiku also disclosed plans to personally telephone selected participants who provide their contact details through the platform to hear about their experiences and the challenges affecting their daily lives.
“Beyond answering questions here, I will personally call selected citizens who leave their contact details so I can hear directly about their experiences and the issues affecting their daily lives,” he said.
He maintained that technology-driven and transparent governance should begin with how political leaders engage citizens, rather than remain an aspiration for the future.
“A transparent, technology-driven government is not a promise for tomorrow. It begins with how we listen to you today,” he said.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council also announced plans to extend the platform’s reach through a radio interface to accommodate communities without reliable internet access. However, it did not provide further details on how the proposed arrangement would operate.
The launch comes as political parties and prospective candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and the cost of living expected to feature prominently in political campaigns.
Atiku served as Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He contested the presidency under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 and 2023 before aligning with the ADC ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
Through Ask AA, Atiku is seeking to provide Nigerians with a direct channel to question his record, assess his policy proposals and contribute to discussions on the country’s future as he pursues the presidency for another election cycle.
