2027: Atiku courts Yoruba voters, vows South-West will shape policies

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged that the Yoruba will remain central to his administration if he secures the presidency in 2027.

Atiku, who ran as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 election, dismissed fears that his leadership would favour his Fulani background.

In a statement released on Wednesday by his media consultant, Kola Johnson, Atiku pointed to his marital and personal ties with the Yoruba as proof of his enduring bond with the South-West.

He said, “I count myself extremely lucky indeed to have had a wife from amongst this noble species of the human race, which by this token implies that the bond uniting me together with the Yoruba is aptly like the genetic bond of a family.

“This is why the Yoruba, whether individually or collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart.”

The former vice president assured that Yoruba interests would remain at the heart of his policymaking.

“It is also for this reason that the interest of the Yorubas will always occupy a topmost place in my policy making and governance if by the special Grace of Allah, I am lucky to be president in 2027.

“Therefore, the fear that my ascension to presidency might lead to Hausa/Fulani domination over Yorubas or other ethnic groups does not only arise, but also is absolutely unfounded because the entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws,” he stated.

He recalled his marriage to Titi, an Ijesha-born Yoruba woman he wedded in the 1970s, noting that their union produced four children.

“In case you don’t know or have forgotten, I was married to my first wife, Titi, a Yoruba woman, in the 70s, and we have four Yoruba children together. She is now over 75 years old and we are still together.

“My children with Titi sometimes call me ‘Baba Rere’, meaning good father. I am extremely in love with my children and serve as a good father to them, as I urge every father to do the same to their children,” Atiku said.

Describing his wife as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value,” Atiku emphasised that Yoruba people have always been among his closest allies.

“Anyone who knows me will tell you with all sincerity that as a person, I am naturally a highly detribalised person. Even before I could ever venture into politics, I flowed easily and effortlessly with people of diverse tribes, ethnicity, religion, and whatever sectarian differences,” he added.

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