Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has once again thrown his hat into the political ring, formally announcing his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election. The elder statesman emphasized that his decision to run is not born out of desperation but out of necessity, stressing that Nigeria is currently in dire straits and must be “rescued from the intensive care unit” before it is too late.
Atiku’s declaration came as a direct response to remarks credited to Professor Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Ondo, who had earlier suggested that the former vice-president was not desperate to become Nigeria’s leader. Olateju had spoken at an event in Lagos where defectors from both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He maintained that Atiku’s focus was on building a better country rather than pursuing personal ambition.
However, Atiku distanced himself from those claims, insisting that he had not authorized such statements. Speaking in a telephone interview with his former media aide, Tunde Olusunle, Atiku clarified his stance: “I did not issue that statement. In this particular instance, there was no engagement with me to distil my thoughts. Prof. Olateju was not speaking for me. 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. I will be offering myself to lead the reclamation and reconstruction of our traumatised homeland.”
Currently residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Atiku revealed that the ADC coalition, which he is aligned with, is already working on building a powerful nationwide movement. He described the coalition as one that will “shock the world” by breaking political barriers, uniting diverse groups, and upstaging the existing political establishment in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku Abubakar, who is now 78 years old, has had a long and eventful journey in Nigerian politics. He has sought the presidency six times, with official candidacies in 2007, 2019, and 2023. His persistence has often sparked debate among Nigerians, with some seeing him as a determined leader with unmatched experience, while others view him as overly ambitious. Nevertheless, in May 2024, Atiku himself declared that he would “keep contesting” for Nigeria’s top office for as long as his health permits, showing no sign of abandoning his political dream.
If he successfully secures the presidential ticket once again, Atiku will be 81 years old when Nigerians head to the polls in 2027. Despite concerns about age, the former vice-president remains confident that his experience, political network, and vision for national recovery will resonate with Nigerians who are yearning for change, stability, and development in the face of growing poverty and insecurity.
With this latest announcement, the 2027 presidential race has officially begun to take shape, and Atiku Abubakar has positioned himself at the forefront of what promises to be another defining moment in Nigeria’s political history.