By Muhammed Akindele
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has confirmed that he will contest for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Atiku made the declaration through his long-time associate and 2023 campaign spokesperson, Tunde Olusunle, insisting that his ambition is driven by a commitment to rescue Nigeria from worsening decline.
The clarification followed speculation triggered by comments credited to Prof. Ola Olateju of Achievers University, suggesting that Atiku had shifted focus to national development outside politics.
Speaking from his holiday base in the United Arab Emirates, Atiku dismissed Olateju’s remarks, stressing that they were unauthorised.
“When people stand in for me at events, we preview my thoughts. In this case, there was no engagement with me to distil my position. Prof. Olateju was not speaking for me,” Atiku said.
Reaffirming his position, he declared: “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 poverty, the pain, the anguish, is unacceptable.”
Atiku also assured his supporters that the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform remained intact and would shock critics in the coming election.
“The deceit, the erosion of values, the unbridled theft and absolute lack of accountability under this APC government must worry every patriot. I will offer myself to lead the reclamation and reconstruction of our traumatised homeland,” Olusunle quoted him as saying after conferring with him.
He criticised what he described as “unprecedented theft” under the current administration, vowing that the opposition would mobilise Nigerians to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Atiku, who has repeatedly contested for Nigeria’s top office, maintained that his aspiration is not about personal ambition but about rescuing the country from collapse.
