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FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, addressing residents at Kado Fish Market,during his inspection of Deidei to Life Camp Road today.

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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Zamfara State has thrown its weight behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, declaring him the party’s preferred candidate for the race.

Party stakeholders also warned that they would “sue” the Waziri Adamawa if he eventually decides not to contest the election.

The endorsement was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held on Saturday at the International Conference Hall in the Government Reserved Area, Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.

The gathering had in attendance members of the State Executive Committee, National Executive Committee representatives from the state, as well as the party’s governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly candidates.

In a communique released after the meeting, the party leaders said the decision followed wide consultations and discussions on the country’s current political and economic situation.

According to them, Nigeria needs an experienced leader with a national outlook who can restore stability, improve security and revive public confidence in governance.

The stakeholders described Atiku as a seasoned democrat with years of political experience and commitment to democratic governance and economic reforms.

They noted that his leadership experience places him in a strong position to lead the country at a difficult period.

The meeting also witnessed strong support from party members, many of whom insisted that the former vice president must not withdraw from the race.

“We will sue the Wazirin Adamawa if he refuses to contest,” some members reportedly declared during the session.

Party leaders further stated that Nigerians were becoming more interested in transparent leadership and credible electoral processes ahead of the next general election.

Speaking at the meeting, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, popularly known as Doctor, a former APC Zamfara Central Coordinator for the 2023 presidential election, said the political events that shaped the outcome of the last election in the state would not repeat themselves in 2027.

He expressed confidence that voters would be allowed to freely decide their choice in the next election cycle.

The ADC in Zamfara also pledged full support for Atiku’s possible presidential ambition and promised to begin aggressive grassroots mobilisation across the state.

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Nigeria has retained its position as the third-largest borrower from the International Development Association (IDA), the concessional lending arm of the World Bank, despite a slight decline in its debt exposure in the first quarter of 2026.

According to the IDA’s March 2026 financial statements, Nigeria’s exposure stood at $18.5 billion as of March 31, 2026, down marginally from $18.7 billion recorded at the end of December 2025.

The $200 million decline represents a 1.1 per cent reduction over the three-month period. However, on a year-on-year basis, Nigeria’s debt exposure increased significantly by $1.2 billion, or 6.9 per cent, from $17.3 billion recorded in March 2025.

The latest ranking places Nigeria behind Bangladesh and Pakistan among the World Bank’s largest IDA borrowers.

Data from the report showed that Bangladesh remained the largest borrower with an exposure of $22.7 billion, followed by Pakistan with $19.2 billion, while Nigeria ranked third with $18.5 billion.

Other major African borrowers include Ethiopia with $14.4 billion, Tanzania with $14.3 billion, and Kenya with $13.2 billion in outstanding exposure.

The report also revealed that the IDA’s total loans outstanding stood at $230.8 billion as of March 31, 2026, slightly below the $231.1 billion recorded at the end of December 2025, reflecting a mild moderation in the institution’s lending portfolio.

According to the IDA, loans classified under non-accrual status represented only 0.4 per cent of the total portfolio, while provisions for potential loan losses amounted to $6.3 billion, equivalent to about 2.0 per cent of underlying exposures.

Nigeria’s exposure accounted for roughly eight per cent of the IDA’s total loan portfolio and approximately 13.3 per cent of the combined exposure represented by the institution’s ten largest borrowing countries.

The IDA noted that its ten largest country exposures collectively accounted for about 60 per cent of total portfolio exposure as of March 2026, highlighting the concentration of concessional lending among a relatively small number of developing economies.

Despite the slight quarter-on-quarter decline, Nigeria’s debt profile with the World Bank continues to trend upward over the longer term.

The report showed that Nigeria’s exposure rose from $17.3 billion in March 2025 to $18.5 billion in March 2026, underscoring the country’s increasing reliance on concessional financing to support development priorities and economic reforms.

Similarly, Ethiopia’s exposure increased from $13.2 billion to $14.4 billion over the same period, while Tanzania’s exposure rose from $12.6 billion to $14.3 billion.

Bangladesh’s debt exposure climbed from $21.2 billion to $22.7 billion, while Pakistan’s increased from $18.3 billion to $19.2 billion. Ghana also recorded an increase from $7.1 billion to $7.4 billion.

Nigeria’s position among the top borrowers reflects the scale of its infrastructure, social investment, and reform financing needs under the World Bank’s concessional lending framework.

The Federal Government is also currently engaging the World Bank for additional financing support.

Recall that Nigeria is seeking a fresh $1.25 billion World Bank facility aimed at expanding access to finance, improving digital services, strengthening electricity supply, and supporting reforms in tax administration, agriculture, and trade.

If approved, the proposed facility would raise total World Bank loan approvals secured under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to about $10.6 billion in June 2023.

The proposed loan would also rank among the largest World Bank facilities approved for Nigeria in recent years, following the $1.5 billion Reforms for Economic Stabilisation to Enable Transformation Development Policy Financing approved in June 2024.

Experts had cautioned Nigeria against the rising multilateral loans especially amidst rising debt with Nigeria’s debt profile rising to N159 trillion as of 2025.

A finance expert and senior partner at SPM professionals, Dr. Paul Alaje recently noted that the current debt stock of the country is directly owned by Nigerians and will be paid by even citizens not yet born.

“So here is the point, as the volume increases, Nigeria has to pay more, mind you the debt they gave to us is not this year, but as of December 31 2025.

So by the time we look at the one that we have retired and the new loans that have been approved and some that have been collected this year, it is clear that by the time the DMO is reporting that in the first quarter 2026, we would have crossed $160 billion. So it’s more of a burden on the economy. Whether we have the capacity to pay or not is a different kettle of fish,” he added.

Daily Trust