Former Vice President and 2023 Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that the decision of his son, Abba Abubakar, to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is a purely personal choice and does not reflect his own political stance or convictions.
In a post on his X handle on Thursday, Atiku said that in a democratic society, such decisions are neither unusual nor alarming, even when politics intersects with family relationships. He stressed that every individual has the right to make choices based on personal conscience and political beliefs without coercion.
“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians,” Atiku said, reaffirming his long-standing commitment to democratic principles, freedom of choice and political pluralism.
While distancing himself from his son’s defection, the former Vice President used the opportunity to criticise the performance of the APC-led government, describing its governance as poor and responsible for the severe economic and social hardships currently facing Nigerians. He noted that rising cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power continue to place enormous pressure on citizens across the country.
Atiku maintained that his major concern is not individual political movements but the overall direction of the country under the present administration. According to him, Nigerians deserve leadership that prioritises competence, inclusiveness, economic stability and social welfare.
“I remain resolute in working with like-minded patriots to restore good governance and offer Nigerians a credible alternative that brings relief, hope, and progress,” he added, signalling his continued engagement in opposition politics and national discourse. (TVC)
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said he regrets supporting President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, admitting that the decision did not produce the outcome he had hoped for.
Makinde made the disclosure on Tuesday while speaking with journalists at the Government House in Ibadan.
The governor was one of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors — popularly known as the G5 — who openly worked against their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 polls.
The group, led by then Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, opposed Atiku’s candidacy over zoning concerns, arguing that the PDP should have presented a southern presidential candidate following the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner.
Makinde said his decision to back Tinubu, who was then the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was based on the belief that he would act in the national interest if elected.
“I said it earlier, I’m human. I supported the current president, even though in another party at that time, because I thought we’ll do what is right for the country,” Makinde said.
He added that he believed the president would “reset the country” and bring together competent individuals from across Nigeria to address the nation’s challenges.
“But unfortunately, that is not what we’re seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I do,” the governor stated.
Citing concerns over the survival of democracy and the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governor vowed that President Tinubu won’t have his support in the coming 2027 presidential election.
Makinde also disclosed the reason behind his political disagreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to him, the rift between him and Wike began after the minister told Tinubu during a meeting that he would “hold PDP” for the President ahead of the 2027 election, a statement Makinde said was made without the consent of other party stakeholders.
“I was in a meeting with the President and Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the President that I will hold PDP for you against 2027,” Makinde said. “So, we got up, and I asked Wike, did we agree to this?”
Makinde noted that while Wike is entitled to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, other members of the party also have the right to protect the PDP and oppose any move that could weaken democratic pluralism. (Vanguard)
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has openly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s latest use of the presidential pardon, describing it as a reckless action that undermines the principles of justice and accountability.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Atiku Abubakar noted that the presidential prerogative of mercy is intended to balance justice with compassion.
However, he criticised the most recent round of pardons, saying it has reduced the process to a mere triviality.
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, granted clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts, including notable figures such as the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the other members of the Ogoni Eight.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the decision was based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The presidential pardon also extended clemency to individuals convicted of various serious crimes, including homicide, illegal mining, and fraud.
Reacting to this, Atiku condemned the inclusion of such offenders, arguing that it undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system and, in his words, “emboldens criminality.”
He maintained that the exercise of clemency should never serve as an accomplice to crime or erode the foundations of justice.
“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. When properly exercised, it elevates justice and strengthens public faith in governance.
“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite. The decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.
“At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related offences, it is both shocking and indefensible that the presidency would prioritise clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order,” the statement said.
Atiku specifically pointed to the number of individuals convicted of drug-related offences among the pardoned, describing the move as especially concerning in light of Nigeria’s ongoing battle against drug abuse and the vulnerability of its youth population.
“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2% percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, and our nation is still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.
“Even more disturbing is the moral irony that this act of clemency is coming from a President whose own past remains clouded by unresolved and unexplained issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations.
“It is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.”
The former Vice President further stated that “A presidential pardon is meant to symbolize restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralization of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation.”
He added, “Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness. “Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it.” (Channels)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday attributed his absence at the coronation of the former Oyo State Governor, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, to protocol arrangements.
Atiku gave the explanation when he, alongside prominent African Democratic Congress coalition leaders, paid Ladoja a visit at his private residence in Ibadan.
With Atiku were a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorcha Ayu; ex-Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), and other prominent ADC members.
The PUNCH reports that Ladoja was crowned last Friday in a grand ceremony attended by President Bola Tinubu and a host of dignitaries.
Atiku clarified that his absence was not deliberate, describing the new Olubadan as a statesman who had played pivotal roles in Nigeria’s political history.
“We are here to say congratulations to the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Ladoja. We regretted that we didn’t attend the coronation. It was not intentional. Protocol arrangements did not allow us to come during the coronation, not that we didn’t want to come.”
“We know your roles and relationship with some of us. We are here to congratulate you.
Kindly accept our apologies for not making it to the coronation. We regret not attending the programme,”he added.
In his response, Oba Ladoja declared that he had left partisan politics behind, stressing that his new role demanded impartiality. He recalled his long association with Atiku and others during his political years but emphasised his focus on justice and fairness as monarch.
He said,”I’m not one of you again. I am the Olubadan of Ibadanland. So, I am for everybody now. I am no more one of you. I am not a politician anymore. Welcome to my house.
“Now that I am the Olubadan, I am no more interested in any other thing than the Olubadan. You are welcome to my house.
“We started from the Social Democratic Party, we were in exile together, we were in Peoples Democratic Party together. When I wanted to create identity, I went to Accord Party, which became a household name here. I know you politicians have a way of coming back.
“All the religious leaders, they said that the only thing the leaders can do is to promote justice and fairness. I will serve my people, Ibadan people, the state, Africa and the world at large. I will depend on your support and advice,” the monarch stressed. (Punch)
A chieftain of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Moro, says the party regrets fielding Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
Moro, a senator representing Benue South in the National Assembly, stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“As a result of how the election turned out and because the Nigerian people spoke, definitely, it [fielding Atiku] was an error,” the Senate Minority Leader said on Tuesday.
“To lose a very monumental election in that disastrous manner is certainly in for regret.”
The PDP lost the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC), coming second in the exercise won by Bola Tinubu, the then-flagbearer of the ruling APC.
About two years after that defeat, Atiku dumped the PDP and has yet to announce his new party.
Though the 2027 general polls are barely two years away, there are rumours that the main opposition wants to persuade former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, to return to its fold.
Since Jonathan lost to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, he has kept a low profile as he has not been seen at public functions within the PDP.
Similarly, Obi, who was running mate to Atiku in the 2019 elections, dumped the PDP for the Labour Party, where he later secured its presidential ticket for the 2023 polls.
He was said to have been frustrated out of the PDP, a claim that was corroborated by Moro.
But Moro said there were ongoing talks to persuade the duo to join the presidential race.
He added, “So, in the run-up to 2027, I am aware certain individuals have been talking to Peter Obi, ‘Hey, come back home, this is what we are likely to do, and if you come, you stand a chance of being the candidate’,” Moro said on the show.
When asked about the possibilities of ex-President Jonathan returning to the PDP, Senator Moro said, “Some persons are talking to the former president to come and run. It is a possibility”. (Channels)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of weaponising anti-corruption agencies to pressure opposition leaders into defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Atiku lamented that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been turned into a political tool.
On Monday, the EFCC detentained former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over alleged financial misconduct, it also invited former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha over corruption allegations during his brief tenure.
Reacting, Atiku claimed Tambuwal’s detention was solely because he is a member of the coalition seeking to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
He stated, “The only reason the EFCC has detained the former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is because he is a member of the opposition Coalition. It is a continuation of the Tinubu-led administration’s agenda to harrass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition.
“The reality unfolding before us today is that the Tinubu administration, as with other aspects, has objectified the fight against corruption as a political tool to coerce opposition leaders into the ruling party.
“We are living witnesses to a growing trend where the state and its operators have assumed the roles of a bully by making corruption and the fight against it a political agenda.
“Certainly, that is not the objective for which I worked hard during our administration to create the EFCC.”
Atiku stressed that while fighting corruption needs everyone’s support, using it as a political weapon must be condemned by civil society and Nigeria’s international partners.
The statement read in part, “It is as though today, anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations and, it is as though, as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven.
“That, definitely, is not how to build institutions. That, certainly, is not how to fight the monster of corruption. Indeed, such tendencies provide the stimulant for corruption to thrive
“We have seen how the EFCC has been used to empty opposition state governors into the ruling party, and the tea party is not about to end anytime soon.
“While the genuine fight against corruption is a matter that requires the total support of all Nigerians, the objectification of it as a political agenda should be roundly condemned by all in civil society spaces and friends of Nigeria in the international community.
Atiku vowed that opposition leaders would resist any anti-democratic attempts to force the nation into a one-party dictatorship. (Punch)
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has dismissed speculations about former President Goodluck Jonathan posing a threat to Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
He also declared that no politician in Nigeria today has the capacity to defeat Tinubu at the polls.
Bwala, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, was asked if there is a need to worry over the recent clamour for Jonathan to run for office in 2027.
He said, “I see that some unscrupulous elements are trying to hoodwink former President Goodluck Jonathan to come into politics so they can destroy his reputation, which, after he left government, he has been building by becoming an international figure globally.
“And why do I say that? The southern Nigeria where President Goodluck Jonathan comes from, has all turned to us. You have seen governors coming.
The presidential aide also questioned the motives of northern political figures urging Jonathan to run, noting that some of these individuals were instrumental in opposing him during his presidency.
“The elements that are going to him in the north, asking him to come to run, were they not the ones that chased him away? “So what hope does he have that this time around, they are calling him because they mean well for him? Then look at the political class that is coming together to cajole him to come into politics. I know President Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than that.”
Bwala expressed confidence in Tinubu’s victory should Jonathan runs.
“But if President Jonathan decides to run, let me tell you, I have seen the political climate in Nigeria today, and I will speak to facts, not conjecture. There is not a single politician that has the capacity to knock off President Bola Tinubu.”
With the 2027 polls barely two years away, opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, former Senate President, David Mark, among several others, are joining forces to sack the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Calls have also been made for former President Goodluck Jonathan to join the 2027 presidential race, although he has yet to make his position known publicly. (Punch)
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