Atiku declares 2027 presidential bid, says Nigeria must be rescued from ‘ICU’
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigeria must be rescued from what he described as the nation’s “intensive care unit.”
Atiku made the declaration in a telephone interview with Tunde Olusunle, his former media adviser, after disowning remarks credited to a university professor who had suggested he was not desperate to be president.
Prof. Ola Olateju of Achievers University, Ondo, who represented Atiku at a Lagos political event on Saturday, told defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) that Atiku’s ambition was not about personal gain but about building a better Nigeria.
Reacting, Atiku distanced himself from the comments, stressing that Olateju had not consulted him before making the statement. “Prof. Olateju was not speaking for me. I did not issue that statement,” the former vice-president said.
He declared instead that he would be on the ballot in 2027, citing the country’s worsening economic and social conditions. “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 level of poverty and pain, the anguish, is unacceptable,” he said.
Atiku also lamented what he called deceit, large-scale corruption, and lack of accountability in governance, pledging to lead efforts to “reclaim and reconstruct” the country if elected.
The 78-year-old politician, who ran as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 election, is now working within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition. He predicted that the coalition would spring a surprise in 2027. “ADC is leading a potent mass movement which will shock the world. We will upstage the status quo in a way that will leave doubters dumbstruck,” he said.
Atiku has sought the presidency six times, appearing on the ballot in 2007, 2019, and 2023. If he contests in 2027, he will be 81 years old.
