A nationwide delegation of N-Power beneficiaries met with African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in Abuja on Saturday, declaring their support for his 2027 presidential bid.
The group said the decision followed nearly three days of consultations and stakeholder engagements in the capital. In a statement, the beneficiaries described Atiku as their preferred candidate for the 2027 election and urged other Nigerians to back his campaign.
The endorsement reflects continued frustration among former N-Power participants over unresolved welfare issues. The scheme launched in June 2016 as part of the federal government's National Social Investment Programme, enrolling beneficiaries across three cycles , Batches A, B and C, with graduate volunteers earning a monthly stipend of N30,000 and non-graduates N10,000. It was suspended in October 2023 pending a government audit, and beneficiaries have accused authorities of failing to clear a reported N81 billion backlog in unpaid allowances dating back to 2022 and 2023. More than 230,000 former beneficiaries have separately sued the federal government, seeking their outstanding stipends alongside N5 billion in damages.
AbdulAziz Na'ibi Abubakar, a member of The Atiku Movement — a support group backing the former vice president's campaign — said in a statement that 1.4 million N-Power beneficiaries had thrown their weight behind Atiku. That figure has not been independently verified.
Atiku, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007, responded to the endorsement on his X account, saying Nigeria's young people need a government focused on creating opportunity rather than one that teaches them to endure hardship. He pledged a $10 billion financing programme for startups and entrepreneurs if elected, tying it to a broader promise to restore purchasing power eroded by the current cost-of-living crisis.
The endorsement adds to a wider wave of political mobilization ahead of Nigeria's 2027 general election, as opposition figures step up efforts to build support among groups hit hardest by economic hardship. Whether it translates into broad voter support beyond the delegation that met Atiku remains to be seen.
