2027: “You’ve nothing new to offer”

National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Garba Datti Muhammad has said that former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has nothing new to offer in 2027.

Datti, who was a member of the House of Representatives, asked former Atiku to thread the part of caution ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the former Vice President should “perish the thought of another presidential contest” and remain the statesman that he is.

His words: “As we approach the next general elections, you are at it again. Having sensed that your party, the PDP may not cede the presidential ticket to you, you are now considering joining forces with some aggrieved politicians to form a coalition to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.

“For you, Alhaji Atiku, our former Vice President, my freehearted advice is, in your best interest and the interest of Nigerians, it is better you drop the idea of contesting for president in 2027, by which time you would have already turned 80 years.

“The Wazirin Adamawa, you should rather remain the elder statesman that you currently are. I thinks you shouldn’t waste your time and resources. At least, you should take your cue from another former Vice President, Arc. Muhammad Namadi Sambo, who has been operating in the background and remains an elder statesman since he left office in 2015.

“In truth, even if you contest, you have nothing new to offer. Remember, you are also a proponent of subsidy removal. It is on record that, as Vice President, you spearheaded the privatization of some key national assets when you chaired the committee on privatization during the Obasanjo administration, while former governor El-rufai was the Director General of the Bureau for Public Privatization (BPP).”