Atiku Unfazed By Past Allegations: Ready For 2027 Challenge

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2027, has declared that he will not be deterred in the general election of the following year by bringing up previous accusations against him.

Atiku, a former vise president as well, accused the political opposition of fabricating controversy about him because they are unable to withstand an examination of their records.

In a statement released by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, pointed out that the abrupt return to accusations stemming from President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political struggles was an acknowledgment that his opponents had run out of solutions to issues like hunger, declining purchasing power, and the intolerable cost of living.

According to him, “at some point, desperation announces itself. When those defending this government can no longer explain why food, transportation, electricity, rent, education,insecurity and healthcare are increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary families, they rummage through twenty-year-old files looking for an escape route. This is panic dressed up as accountability.

“Let us not rewrite history. The Obasanjo administration did not protect me. At the height of our political disagreement, these matters travelled through the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts. The machinery of the state was fully deployed and the political hostility was public. Yet no court convicted me on these allegations. That is the record.”

Atiku added “So what exactly has been discovered in 2026 that Nigeria did not hear twenty years ago? A petition is not a conviction, an acknowledgement stamp is not evidence of guilt, and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court.

” Anyone with credible evidence against me should bring it out and test it before the law. I have issued that challenge before, and I repeat it today without hesitation.

“The contrast with Bola Tinubu is almost comic. While I am saying, ‘bring out your evidence,’ Tinubu actually went to an American court to intervene in a case seeking FBI and DEA records concerning him, citing privacy interests in records he argued should not be disclosed.

“It is like a man ordering his neighbour to empty his pockets while keeping his own firmly zipped. A man seeking protection for his own records has no business waving petitions at somebody else. My challenge is simple: let every lawful record be opened and every allegation tested. Let Nigerians see who welcomes scrutiny and who reaches for privacy arguments when the files concern him.

“But none of this political theatre will answer the question Nigerians are asking: why does their money buy less food, why does transportation swallow more of their wages, why are businesses struggling, and why are families working harder but living worse?”

Furthermore, the former Vice President, while noting that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) belongs to the country and should investigate” genuine wrongdoing” anywhere, stated that “state institutions must never become emergency political weapons activated whenever those in power are losing the argument on governance.”

He added ‘you cannot feed a hungry family with an EFCC petition. You cannot restore purchasing power with recycled allegations, and you cannot make life affordable by shouting Atiku whenever Nigerians demand answers.

“The old script did not stop me then, and it will not stop me now. In 2027, Nigerians will judge us by our records, the lives they are living and the future we offer them. Those afraid of that judgment may continue rummaging through the archives. We are facing the Nigerian people.”

As the upcoming election draws near, it is crucial for all stakeholders to prioritize peace and civility over hostility and division. Elections should not be a do-or-die affair where candidates and their supporters resort to framing, attacking, or tarnishing each other’s reputations. Politicians, who are expected to serve as role models for the nation, should demonstrate maturity and responsibility by fostering unity rather than discord. They should strive to portray a positive image and reflect integrity, focusing on constructive dialogue rather than revisiting old allegations to damage opponents’ credibility. Ultimately, a peaceful and respectful electoral process will strengthen democracy and lay a solid foundation for the nation’s progress.