His remarks followed advice from Chief Bode George, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, who urged Atiku to abandon ambitions for 2027 and take a cue from President Joe Biden’s decision to make way for a younger candidate in the 2024 US elections.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asserted that addressing the severe hunger and deprivation affecting Nigerians is his primary concern, not speculation about the 2027 presidential race.
His remarks followed advice from Chief Bode George, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, who urged Atiku to abandon ambitions for 2027 and take a cue from President Joe Biden’s decision to make way for a younger candidate in the 2024 US elections.
In a statement on Wednesday through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said, “We cannot afford to put the cart before the horse. At this point, Atiku Abubakar’s preoccupation is not 2027. His concern is about 2024.
“It is about 2025 and 2026 and beyond. His concern is about the plight of Nigerians who are literally going through hell because of the failed trial-and-error policies of this administration.”
He added, “The average citizen, and indeed all Nigerians, need to survive the tsunami that has become the administration of President Bola Tinubu. It is insensitive to be talking about 2027 now when the 2023 mandate has not yielded any tangible benefits for Nigerians, who are now far worse off in every facet of life.
“Bode George himself should also turn his attention to counselling Tinubu to reassess some of his ill-advised policies that have deepened poverty and divisions in our country instead of prioritising the politics of 2027.”