Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has confirmed he will contest the 2027 presidential election, putting an end to swirling speculation about his political future.
“I will run in 2027. Nigeria needs to be decisively rescued from the intensive care unit it has been consigned to,” Atiku declared from his holiday base in the UAE, slamming recent claims that he had dropped his ambition.
The confirmation was delivered through Tunde Olusunle, Atiku’s longtime ally and 2023 campaign spokesperson, during an interview with ThisDay. It rebuffs suggestions by Prof. Ola Olateju of Achievers University, who recently implied Atiku had shifted focus from politics to national development.
“Prof. Olateju was not speaking for me,” Atiku said firmly. “There was no engagement with me to distil my thoughts.”
The 2023 PDP presidential flagbearer accused the current administration of “mega-scale, unimpeded thievery” and a collapse in national values. He pledged to lead a movement to reclaim and rebuild Nigeria.
“I will be offering myself to lead the reclamation and reconstruction of our traumatised homeland,” Olusunle quoted him as saying, promising that his coalition would “shock the world” come 2027.
With this bold declaration, Atiku has positioned himself as a key contender in what is shaping up to be a high-stakes electoral battle.
