In a bold and defiant statement that cuts through the noise of Nigeria’s political realignments, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the 2027 elections will not be about political parties, but about a united front of Nigerians rising against what he described as the “abysmal failure” of the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, dismissed concerns over recent defections within his party — including that of his former running mate and ex-Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa — as “normal in a democracy,” emphasizing that freedom of association is a fundamental right that must be respected.
“I have been inundated with inquiries from concerned Nigerians about the latest defections from the PDP to the ruling party. Let me be clear: freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights,” Atiku said in a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday.
Rather than expressing bitterness, the former Vice President portrayed political mobility as a healthy feature of democratic systems, not a cause for alarm.
“Political realignments are part and parcel of democracy. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again. It is not a crisis — it is democracy in motion,” he noted.
Addressing swirling controversies surrounding his recent visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku accused critics of engaging in selective outrage, pointing out that his political consultations were no different from those being held discreetly by leaders of the PDP and APC with President Tinubu himself.
“When PDP leaders are sipping tea and brokering power deals with President Tinubu, it’s called strategy. But the moment I exchange greetings with Peter Obi, El-Rufai, or visit Buhari, it suddenly becomes a national emergency,” he said sharply.
But the most searing part of Atiku’s statement was reserved for the current administration, which he accused of steering the nation into unprecedented economic and social turmoil.
“The real enemy is not one another — it is the Tinubu administration’s abysmal failure,” Atiku declared. “We are witnessing a collapse of the economy. Inflation is choking the masses. Jobs are disappearing. Young people are becoming restless. This is not governance — this is negligence.”
He continued with a dire warning: “An incompetent captain doesn’t just wreck his ship — he endangers everyone on board.”
Atiku urged Nigerians to resist efforts to distract them with divisive tactics rooted in ethnicity, region, or religion — what he described as “tools of manipulation” often wielded by leaders with nothing of substance to offer.
“Let us not be fooled. The 2027 elections will not be APC versus PDP, or LP versus APC. It will be Nigerians versus a government that has brought them nothing but suffering. This is a battle for survival, and Nigerians are not just tired — they are angry, and rightly so,” he concluded.
The statement comes at a time of intense political maneuvering, as both ruling and opposition parties position themselves for what is shaping up to be a watershed moment in Nigeria’s democratic history. With growing public frustration over economic hardship and governance failures, the road to 2027 is already heating up — and Atiku has firmly drawn his battle lines.
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