(188): Atiku May Lose in 2027, but He Has Already (Re)Gained Something

Atiku May Lose in 2027, but He Has Already (Re)Gained Something

By Muhsin Ibrahim

Frankly speaking, Atiku Abubakar is unlikely to win the 2027 presidential election for some of the reasons I outlined in a previous write-up. But the loss may not sting him as much as before. Why?

If you missed it, I said Nigeria's opposition remains fragmented. The ruling party, APC, has more than 30 state governors, plus Ademola Adeleke (Osun State) of the Accord Party, who will ensure President Bola Tinubu wins their states.

Ethno-religious sentiments will also likely favour Tinubu in two ways. First, most Christians will, again, vote for Peter Obi. Some Muslims will also vote for Tinubu for a similar reason — the Muslim-Muslim mantra is not dead! Both developments disfavour Atiku.

Again, millions of Nigerians, especially in rural areas, are poor and less informed. In other words, millions are vulnerable to manipulation during elections. Thus, their ballots are for the highest bidder. Who has more money than the ruling party?

However, win or lose, Atiku should not be too sad. He will not be, I am almost sure. His name has been “cleared” in the minds of millions of northern Nigerians.

Atiku Abubakar

Atiku has never been this widely accepted and popular in Northern Nigeria before. He used to be a pariah of sorts, with, among other things, a doctored audio sermon by the famous cleric Sheikh Jaafar Mahmud Adam repeatedly used to discredit him, election after election.

As I said last time, Atiku's meteoric rise in popularity says volumes about Tinubu's unpopularity and, of course, failure, largely caused by his harsh economic policies.

President Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy is his biggest mistake, or so I think. Instead of spending billions of naira wooing governors to the APC and engaging in other unnecessary spending to win elections, bringing back the subsidy would probably serve him better.

While we search for a saviour, I pray that the best candidate wins the election, by God's grace.

May Nigeria prosper, amin.

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