Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reaffirmed his intention to contest for Nigeria’s presidency in the 2027 general election, vowing to lead efforts to rescue the country from what he describes as its current state of decline under the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Atiku, a former stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party, accused the APC of attempting to undermine the growing momentum behind the African Democratic Congress, a coalition he is now closely aligned with.
According to him, the ADC-led alliance is poised to deliver a political upset in 2027.
Dismissing speculation that he may not join the race, Atiku made it clear—through his spokesperson during the 2023 presidential election, Tunde Olusunle—that he remains firmly committed to running for office.
Speaking to ThisDay on Sunday night, Olusunle quoted Atiku as saying that Nigeria must be urgently salvaged from the economic and social deterioration it currently faces.
“The accompanying deceit, the loss of values, the mega-scale, unimpeded thievery and 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,” Olusunle quoted Atiku as saying after a recent discussion with him.
The former Vice President further emphasised that the coalition under the ADC was intended to mobilise broad-based public support for national redemption.
“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 stated.
Reports over the weekend had suggested that Atiku might step aside in 2027, with his commitment seen as more aligned with national reform than personal political ambition. During a political defection event in Lagos, Professor Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Owo—who represented Atiku—was quoted as saying that Atiku’s goal was to foster a working government, not necessarily to occupy the presidency.
“Atiku Abubakar’s plan is to build a better Nigeria, it’s not about being President. It’s about establishing a government that works for Nigerians. That’s why some of us are with him, not because Atiku must be President at all costs,” Olateju said at the event.
However, Atiku has since distanced himself from that statement. Speaking from his residence in the United Arab Emirates, the former Vice President clarified that the remarks attributed to him were not reflective of his views and were not approved.
“I did not issue that statement,” he said. “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. In this particular instance, there was no engagement with me to distill my thoughts. Prof Olateju was not speaking for me.”
Reiterating his presidential ambition, he stated, “I will run in 2027. Nigeria needs to be decisively rescued from the intensive care unit it has been consigned. The degeneration in our country, the level of poverty and pain, the anguish, is unacceptable.”
