Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has criticized former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, for his performance in the 2023 presidential election.
Adeyanju believes that Atiku’s arrogance, poor interpersonal skills, inability to handle opposition, and other lesser-known factors contributed to his loss as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.
In his New Year message, Adeyanju stated that if Atiku had managed the election better, the outcome would have been different, resulting in a different President for Nigeria.
Adeyanju also criticized Atiku for not collaborating with other politicians such as Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nyesom Wike, and the G5, which ultimately led to President Bola Tinubu’s victory.
The controversial activist concluded by advising Atiku to acknowledge his contributions and refrain from considering running for the presidency in 2027, instead focusing on mentoring younger politicians.
The message reads: “For over three decades, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s name has appeared prominently in the Nigerian political lexicon and one cannot deny the fact that he has contributed a great deal in shaping the Nigerian democracy.
“From the aborted third republic down to the recently conducted 2023 general elections, Alhaji Atiku has played one role or the other in Nigerian politics, with varying results. However, it is now time for him to take a bow from politics and serve as a mentor for the younger generation of politicians.
“Keen observers of political issues in Nigeria will attest to the fact that year 2023 was Alhaji Abubakar’s best shot at the Nigerian Presidency. He had everything working in his favour. However, a combination of arrogance, inadequate human relationship, inability to manage the opposition, and several other lesser known factors contributed to his defeat in the polls.
“Abubakar was directly responsible for the division in the opposition that saw President Tinubu emerging with the slimmest victory margin in Nigeria’s recent democratic elections. He failed to support Peter or prevail on him to remain in the PDP, he failed to prevail on Kwankwaso to remain in the PDP, he picked unnecessary fight with the G5 PDP governors and invariably lost in woefully in areas that were hitherto traditional PDP bases.
“Had the G5, kwankwaso, Peter Obi and Atiku worked under one platform in the 2023 presidential election, we would have had a different president today. Sadly, that ship has sailed. It is for the aforementioned reasons that Abubakar must drop his intention to run in the 2027 presidential elections. He is not the only politician in Nigeria. He must give way for younger generation of politicians.”
Adeyanju went on to say that the former Vice President should play the role of “Moses and let history be the judge,” adding that the opposition must also find a way to work together in order to present a unified front in 2027 through a younger candidate.
