Olusegun Ariyo
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has said he’s not preoccupied with the 2027 presidency currently.
Atiku said he’s currently preoccupied with the plight of Nigerians suffering hunger and deprivation due to President Bola Tinubu’s policies.
The former Vice President was responding to a remark by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Chief Bode George, that he should ignore running for the presidency in 2027.
George had advised Atiku to take a cue from United States President Joe Biden and bury any thought of vying for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
However, Atiku charged the PDP chieftain to advise Tinubu to reassess his policies affecting Nigerians and not comment on his political future.
A statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, reads: “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 literarily going through hell because of the failed trial-and-error policies of this administration.
“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.”
