Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured the Yoruba that their interests would remain central to his administration if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party, candidate in the 2023 presidential race, dismissed concerns that his presidency would favour his Fulani kinsmen, describing such fears as “unfounded.”
In a statement released on Wednesday through his media consultant, Kola Johnson, the former vice president pointed to his personal and marital ties with the South-West as proof of his enduring bond with the Yoruba people.
“I count myself extremely lucky indeed to have had a wife from amongst this noble species of the human race,” he said.
“By this token, the bond uniting me with the Yoruba is 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.”
Atiku stressed that if given the mandate in 2027, the South-West would be at the core of his policy direction. “The interest of the Yorubas will always occupy a topmost place in my policymaking and governance if, by the special grace of Allah, I am lucky to be president in 2027,” he declared.
He further rejected speculations of ethnic domination, adding: “The fear that my ascension to the presidency might lead to Hausa/Fulani domination over Yorubas or other ethnic groups is absolutely unfounded. The entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws.”
The ex-vice president also cited his first marriage to Titi, an Ijesha-born Yoruba woman whom he married in the 1970s, as an example of his long-standing ties.
“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,” he noted.
Atiku added that his children fondly call him “Baba Rere,” meaning “good father,” and described Titi as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value.”
“Anyone who knows me will tell you with all sincerity that I am a highly detribalised person,” he continued. “Even before venturing into politics, I related effortlessly with people of diverse tribes, ethnicities, and religions.”
Atiku, a recurring presidential contender since the early 1990s, finished second in the 2023 election to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
Political observers say the South-West, predominantly Yoruba, has historically played a decisive role in shaping the outcome of Nigeria’s national elections.
