By Kassim Afegbua
In what appears as a masterstroke political move, Abba Atiku Abubakar, the son of a former vice president and leading opposition figure, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has jettisoned his father’s ADC to pitch his tent in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political party in the build up to the 2027 general election. Honourable Abba Atiku Abubakar made the move in Abuja when he visited the the APC’s headquarters to formally register his support and take the membership of the ruling All Progressives’ Congress.
The move, according to some political observers, is tantamount to declaring a vote of no confidence in his father, saying President Tinubu deserves a second term for the sake of continuity. His actions were not minuscule; they didn’t only evince merely a vote of no confidence, they showed that he completely more or less “disowned” his father, as he also donated 10 Campaign buses to boost the APC’s campaign for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This move by Honourable Abba Atiku Abubakar is a huge statement of disavowal for his father’s aspirations. It conveys to the Nigerian electorates that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is not to be trusted with the leadership of the country. When a son tells a father barefacedly that the father’s ambition is not worth the trouble, it becomes a signal advising rejection to the public. What Abba Atiku has done cautioned Nigerian voters to be wary of his father’s aspiration.
It begs the question, “ who can know the father more than the son?” The son has obliquely revealed the dark side of his father’s sincerity and honesty of intentions. Nigerians have simply been told to be cautious of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s real intention in seeking to preside over the country. This, without a doubt is the most poignant disapproval anyone can get in the heat of electoral campaigns.
Honourable Abba Atiku Abubakar has just taken a bold step of placing more premium on the future of Nigeria against what could seem as a selfish ambition of his father. Aside from muddling the political algorithms of the North and South, the aspiration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a deliberate and conscious effort to disrupt the smooth flow of political balancing and inclusion. Abba Atiku Abubakar has clearly placed national stability over and above the vaulting ambition of a man who happens to be his father. According to Abba Atiku Abubakar, and rightly so, President Tinubu deserves a second term; a re-election, would allow him consolidate on the gains of the past three years.
To show his earnestness, he donated 10 campaign buses to President Tinubu’s campaign. Nothing could be more telling than such a gesture of political maturity and consolidation; a move that stamps a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu without equivocation. Honourable Abba Atiku knows his father very well, and for him to make such an uncommon move, was a bold admission of his father’s inadequacies.
That President Tinubu deserves a second term to consolidate on his reform agenda is unarguable. His reforms have attracted credible commendation from financial experts, industry players and foreign financial institutions. The president deserves an additional four years to move the country from reforms to prosperity, to crystallize the achievements that have been recorded. e.g. the subsidy removal initiative has further blocked leakages in the petroleum sector, simultaneously opening up new opportunities for a robust economy.
Quoting Abba Atiku. “we need to give Mr. President more years to finish the good work he has started.” Nigerians deserve more intervention from a President who has shown uncommon grit and gravitas in taking “painful” decisions for a better tomorrow for us all. That journey starts with his re-election and Abba Atiku Abubakar has boldly joined the move. What are you waiting for?
. Prince Afegbua is the Commissioner for Information, Edo State and member of the 2027 Predidential Campaign Committee.
