Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, ending weeks of speculation about his political future.
Atiku’s announcement came after reports suggested he would back any candidate that emerges under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the political platform recently adopted by the coalition he leads.
In a statement released from his holiday home in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Atiku distanced himself from earlier remarks credited to Professor Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Ondo, who had said the former vice president was “not desperate” to contest in 2027.
Read Also:
Ganduje Foundation Expands Community Outreach With New Mosques, Schools in Kano
“When people stand in for me at events, we preview my thoughts on the instant subject. In this particular instance, there was no engagement with me to distil my thoughts. Prof. Olateju was not speaking for me,” Atiku said.
He added: “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.”
Atiku, who has contested six previous presidential elections under different political platforms including the SDP, PDP, AC, and APC, assured his supporters that the coalition’s platform in the ADC would provide a credible alternative.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of unprecedented corruption, loss of values, and “mega-scale, unimpeded thievery,” insisting that Nigerians deserve accountable leadership.
“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,” Atiku was quoted as saying.
Atiku also expressed confidence that the coalition would “shock the world” in 2027, pledging to mobilise Nigerians across party lines to challenge the status quo.
