Veteran journalist and former presidential aide, Reuben
Abati, has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, over his recent
remarks about ‘Yoruba interests’ ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday,
Abati faulted Atiku’s comment that the Yoruba should not fear his presidency
because he is married to a woman from Ijesha, with whom he has children.
Abati described the statement as “unfortunate,” accusing
Atiku of “tribalizing” politics. He argued that a politician of Atiku’s
experience should focus on national issues rather than ethnic sentiments.
“To start with, that ethnic card should not work. It must
not work. It is unacceptable to the extent that there are more serious issues
on the basis of which Atiku can engage with Nigerians,” Abati said.
He stressed that Nigerians expect a presidential candidate
to present solutions to pressing challenges such as oil theft, the operations
of NNPC Limited, insurgency, terrorism, and controversies over state funds,
rather than citing ethnic ties.
Abati added that Yoruba people have already produced
presidents, including Olusegun Obasanjo and Bola Tinubu, and therefore do not
require assurances of representation.
He said: “Now, let me start with what former Vice President
purportedly said about what he intends to do if he’s lucky enough to become
president in 2027. Namely, that Yoruba people do not need to have any fears
that he will be, you know, more interested in Fulani interest, and that, after
all, he has a wife who is from the Ijesha stock, who has four children with
him, and these children, they call him “Babariri”, and all of that.
“Look, this again, is very unfortunate, because it’s about
the tribalization, the ethnicization of Nigerian politics, and a man like Atiku
Abubakar, who has been the Vice President in this country should know better
than to play the ethnic card.
“To start with, that ethnic card should not work. It must
not work. It is unacceptable to the extent that there are more serious issues
on the basis of which Atiku can engage with Nigerians.
“One what Nigerians expect is not a president that will talk
about where he comes from, where he married from. That’s not the interest. The
interest should be what does he intend to do for Nigeria.
“There are many issues. One of the issues you have talked
about this morning is oil theft. Does he have answers to that? Questions have
been raised about NNPC limited. Does he have any concrete ideas about what he
wants to do in that regard? In the front page of the papers today, there is a
report that, you know, the Osun state government is protesting that there is an
attempt to by the Ministry of Finance to seek the president’s approval to pay
money belonging to the people of Osun state, that have been held, contrary to
the rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, to pay to
politicians, APC politicians. Does he have an idea about that?
“So there are more, you know, important things: insurgency,
terrorism that you Waziri Adamawa can talk about. But to say, my wife is from
Yoruba land, and my son speaks Yoruba, nobody is interested in that.
“In any case, he says he will defend Yoruba interest.
Yorubas have had President Obasanjo, they’ve had President Tinubu. They are
well represented in Nigerian politics at this time.”
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