The Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has sent a clear message to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, urging him to abandon any lingering hope of ever becoming Nigeria’s president.
Bwala, while speaking during a TVC interview on Monday, stated that based on unfolding events, it appears unlikely that God has destined Atiku to lead the country. He encouraged the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to instead channel his efforts into offering ideas to President Tinubu that could help improve Nigeria. This, he noted, would at least leave a positive legacy for Atiku as someone who contributed meaningfully to the country’s progress.
In his words, “As for my former principal, if I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I would tell him is just this: Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny. God gives power to whomever He chooses, and it seems, from the facts on the ground, it may not have been God’s will for you to govern Nigeria.”
Bwala further advised Atiku to leverage his long-standing relationship with Tinubu by offering valuable contributions towards nation-building. Doing so, he suggested, would give Atiku a respectable place in history as someone who, in his final political days, still pursued the Nigeria both leaders had once envisioned.
“There are many other ways you can contribute and since you have been a friend to President Bola Tinubu for many years, come together and bring your contributions towards the Nigeria that both of you wanted to create for the Nigerian people so that your legacy will be that in your political dieing days, you were able to achieve some of your dreams, albeit through your friend.”
However, Bwala warned that if Atiku insists on contesting the 2027 presidential election, the outcome might not favor him, especially as he has already lost a large portion of his political base.
“But if he insists that he wants to run and wants to become the President as we are already seeing it playing out, his political ending may not be as palatable as he is thinking because right now, from his political family, he has lost substantial people, probably sixty to seventy percent,” Bwala submitted.
According to Bwala, as reported by Naturenex, the former Vice President may also no longer represent the preference of a growing number of Nigerians, many of whom are seeking a younger, more dynamic candidate.
“And now a younger generation under him felt that it is their turn and their right to also run. And for some time now with all the talks, they have not backed down or backed away from their ambition and they don’t look like they are going to back away anytime soon,” he added.
