The Eternal Candidate: Atiku’s Unyielding Presidential Ambitions
In the ever-revolving door of Nigerian presidential politics, one figure remains a constant presence perhaps to the exhaustion of many voters. At 78, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar appears poised to make yet another run for Nigeria’s highest office in 2027, which would mark his seventh attempt at capturing the presidency. The question increasingly asked across political circles isn’t “if” but “why?”
The Defender of the Indefatigable
Standing firmly in Atiku’s corner is PDP chieftain Otunba Segun Sowunmi, who has taken up the mantle of defending the former Vice President’s seemingly endless quest for power. In a recent interview with Vanguard that bordered on political theater, Sowunmi rebuked critics who suggest Atiku should gracefully bow out of the political arena.
“The more you try to bully him, the more resolute he becomes,” Sowunmi proclaimed, unwittingly painting his principal as a man whose political aspirations are fueled less by vision and more by stubborn defiance.
The Presidential Perennial
Atiku’s political resume reads like a study in persistence or perhaps obstinance. Having contested presidential primaries or general elections in 1992, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, his political journey spans more than three decades. His most recent defeats to APC candidates Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and Bola Tinubu in 2023 have done little to dampen his enthusiasm for another campaign.
The former Vice President’s electoral odyssey has seen him hopscotch across Nigeria’s political landscape: from SDP to ACN to APC and currently PDP. This ideological flexibility raises questions about whether Atiku’s presidential ambitions are driven by policy convictions or personal ambition.
Constitutional Right vs. Political Wisdom
Sowunmi anchors his defense of Atiku’s perpetual candidacy on constitutional rights. “What law would you use to prevent somebody from contesting an election?” he challenged, sidestepping the more nuanced conversation about political succession planning, generational transition, and the strategic interests of opposition politics.
Indeed, while the constitution permits Atiku’s continued campaigns, the question increasingly being asked is whether his persistence serves the larger goal of providing Nigerians with fresh leadership alternatives. In a nation where more than 70% of the population is under 30, Atiku’s continued dominance of opposition politics represents a striking generational disconnect.
The Opposition’s Dilemma
Perhaps most telling in Sowunmi’s defense is his accusation that critics are “spending too much time bullying Atiku” rather than focusing on “how to wrest power from the ruling party.” The irony apparently lost on Sowunmi is that many see Atiku’s reluctance to step aside as precisely the obstacle preventing the opposition from presenting a more viable alternative to the ruling APC.
After six unsuccessful bids for the presidency, including two consecutive losses as the PDP’s standard-bearer, Atiku’s insistence on maintaining his grip on opposition politics raises questions about whether personal ambition has taken precedence over party strategy.
The Path Forward
As 2027 approaches, the PDP finds itself at a crossroads. Will it once again rally behind a candidate whose political prime coincided with the last century, or will it embrace the generational shift taking place across African politics?
Sowunmi’s spirited defense of Atiku’s right to run obscures a more fundamental question: Not whether Atiku can run again, but whether he should. As Nigeria grapples with 21st-century challenges from technology disruption to youth unemployment the prospect of a septuagenarian making his seventh bid for the presidency suggests a political imagination stuck in neutral.
For a party seeking to present itself as the alternative to the status quo, this eternal candidacy might be the very definition of the status quo they claim to oppose.
Bayo Wahab is a political analyst based in Lagos.
Reference
The Eternal Candidate: Atiku’s Unyielding Presidential Ambitions