Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured the Yoruba community that their interests will occupy “a topmost place” in his administration should he emerge victorious in the 2027 presidential election.
The Peoples Democratic Party stalwart dismissed fears that a potential Atiku presidency could lead to ethnic domination, describing such concerns as “absolutely unfounded.”
Speaking through his media consultant, Kola Johnson, in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja, Atiku emphasised his deep personal and marital connections to the Yoruba people.
“The entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws,” the former vice president declared, citing his marriage to Titi, an Ijesha-born woman, as evidence of his commitment to the South-West region.
Atiku revealed that he married Titi in the 1970s and they have four children together. The 78-year-old politician described his wife, now over 75, as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value.”
“My children with Titi sometimes call me ‘Baba Rere’, meaning good father. I am extremely in love with my children and serve as a good father to them,” he stated.
The presidential hopeful argued that his family ties make fears of ethnic marginalisation baseless, insisting that the Yoruba community has always held a special place in his heart.
“I count myself extremely lucky indeed to have had a wife from amongst this noble species of the human race, which by this token implies that the bond uniting me together with the Yoruba is aptly like the genetic bond of a family,” Atiku explained.
He promised that if elected president in 2027, the South-West would be central to his policy formulation and governance structure.
“It is also for this reason that 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,” the former vice president assured.
Atiku, who describes himself as “naturally a highly detribalised person,” said he has always maintained close relationships across ethnic and religious lines, even before entering politics.
“Anyone who knows me will tell you with all sincerity that, as a person, I am naturally a highly detribalised person. Even before I could ever venture into politics, I flowed easily and effortlessly with people of diverse tribes, ethnicity, religion and whatever sectarian differences,” he added.
The statement appears to be part of Atiku’s early campaign strategy as he prepares to challenge President Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba leader, in the 2027 presidential race. Atiku finished as runner-up in the 2023 presidential election, which Tinubu won.
