A Tinubu support group, the Disciples of Jagaban (DOJ), has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent visits to former presidents Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, suggesting they are part of his plans for the 2027 elections, as futile.
The group criticized Atiku’s engagement with the former presidents, calling it a “vain pursuit of the surreal, an unrealistic endeavor,” and predicted it would end in disappointment. In a statement by the group’s national coordinator, Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, they emphasized that Atiku should understand that major opposition politicians recognize the inevitability of Tinubu’s return in 2027. Alawuje stated, “Obviously, Atiku and his handlers have forgotten that power comes only from God and not through the manipulative tendencies of individuals even as they try to mislead the citizens.”
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Although the specifics of Atiku’s meetings with the former presidents remain unclear, there is speculation that these visits are linked to his 2027 presidential ambitions. Alawuje asserted, “If this is indeed true, then Atiku Abubakar must be told in clear terms that 2027 is not negotiable as far as President Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is concerned.”
Alawuje praised Tinubu as a dedicated democrat who inherited and is addressing decades-old crises without revealing their full extent. He noted that Tinubu’s straightforward leadership has led some to unfairly blame him for current issues. The DOJ called on Nigerians to dismiss Atiku’s efforts as acts of desperation and to consider moving on from him politically. “Nigerians need not waste their time and resources in listening to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar because he has nothing more to offer,” Alawuje said. “Being a former vice president, he deserves some respect and regard from us. So, the best we can offer him at the moment is to banish him permanently from the political scene.”
The statement also expressed alarm over Atiku’s attempts to unseat Tinubu in 2027, citing his meetings with numerous ex-presidents. Alawuje emphasized that no amount of lobbying could alter what he sees as God’s decision regarding Tinubu’s leadership. He reminded Atiku of his pre-2023 election debate at Arewa House, where he controversially stated that Northerners did not need either Yoruba or Igbos to produce a president. “This was not the vice president we used to know. His behavior of late has shown that he is ready to set the country on the path of anarchy to achieve his ambition,” Alawuje concluded.
