Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded sharply to comments made by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, rejecting suggestions about his political future.
The exchange began when Bwala, who previously worked as spokesperson for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suggested the former vice president should acknowledge certain political realities.
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“If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny. God gives power to whomsoever He chooses. And it seems from the facts on the ground that it may not have been the will of God for you to govern Nigeria,” Bwala stated during a televised interview.
In response, Atiku’s media team issued a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, characterizing Bwala’s comments as “sanctimonious pontificating laced with bitterness and duplicity.”
The statement portrayed Bwala as someone with questionable political loyalty, noting the irony of his current position given his previous role in Atiku’s campaign.
“It is both ironic and pathetic that Mr Bwala — a political turncoat who once served as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign — now presumes to lecture a statesman of global standing on matters of legacy, destiny, and retirement,” the statement read.”Atiku Abubakar neither seeks nor requires validation from political opportunists who shed principles as easily as they change parties. Mr Bwala’s current relevance, if any, is owed entirely to the platform he once occupied under Atiku’s leadership — a fact that should breed humility, not arrogance.”
Atiku’s team suggested that the Tinubu administration’s continued focus on the former vice president reveals underlying concerns about his political influence.
“The Tinubu camp’s obsession with Atiku’s political future is no coincidence. If, as they claim, Atiku is a spent force, why the relentless smear campaign? Why the strategic allocation of presidential platforms to attack him?”
“The answer is plain: Atiku Abubakar remains the single most formidable opposition figure in Nigeria, and the coalition he is forging represents a clear and present danger to the decaying edifice of the ruling party,” the statement continued.
The media office highlighted Atiku’s leadership of an opposition coalition, describing it as “a broad-based alliance aimed at reclaiming Nigeria from economic collapse, institutional failure, and democratic erosion.”
Defending Atiku’s political legacy, the statement added: “Legacy is not defined by the trappings of office but by courage, consistency, and conviction. Atiku Abubakar’s legacy — as a unifier, builder, and patriot — is deeply etched in the consciousness of millions of Nigerians. It is impervious to the revisionist bile of yesterday’s defectors turned today’s defenders of dysfunction.”
During his interview, Bwala had also claimed that Atiku had experienced significant desertion from his political camp, suggesting “substantial people, probably 60 to 70 percent” had departed, and cautioned that persistent presidential ambitions might lead to an unfavorable “political ending.”
Atiku’s office countered by affirming the former vice president’s unwavering commitment to his political vision, stating he remains “focused and unshaken” in his efforts to advance Nigeria’s progress.
“The rescue and rebuilding of Nigeria is a task of urgent national importance — far too important to be derailed by the petty ego trips of desperate presidential aides,” the statement concluded.
This exchange occurs against a backdrop of reported defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with speculation about potential defections among opposition governors.
