Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has confirmed his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigeria must be “rescued from the intensive care unit.”
His declaration followed comments made by Prof. Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Ondo, who had represented him at a political event in Lagos. Olateju had told defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that Abubakar was not desperate to be president.
“Atiku Abubakar’s plan is to build a better Nigeria. It’s not about him being president. It’s about having a good government that can deliver for Nigerians. It’s not a personal thing for him, and that’s why some of us are with him,” Olateju said.
However, Abubakar distanced himself from the remarks, clarifying in a telephone interview with his former media adviser, Tunde Olusunle, that the statements did not reflect his position.
“I did not issue that statement. When people stand in for me at events, we preview my thoughts on the instant subject and what my contribution or intervention will be, so we are on the same page,” Abubakar said from the United Arab Emirates. “In this particular instance, there was no engagement with me to distil my thoughts. Prof Olateju was not speaking for me.”
Reaffirming his ambition, he declared:
“I will run in 2027. Nigeria needs to be decisively rescued from the intensive care unit it has been consigned [to]. The degeneration in our country, the level of poverty and pain, the anguish, is unacceptable.
“The accompanying deceit, the loss of values, the mega-scale, unimpeded thievery, the absolute lack of accountability, must disturb every concerned patriot. I will be offering myself to lead the reclamation and reconstruction of our traumatised homeland.”
Abubakar added that the ADC coalition, of which he is a member, is mobilising a strong grassroots movement.
“ADC is leading a potent mass movement which will shock the world. We will upstage the status quo in a way which will leave doubters dumbstruck,” he said.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
