I was deeply engrossed in an event when a friend from Cross River State drew my attention to Lere Olayinka’s recent diatribe against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. I cannot, in good conscience, let such absurdity pass unchallenged. Olayinka’s assertions are nothing short of delusional and smacked of hallucination. Let it be clear: Atiku Abubakar will not only contest the 2027 presidential election but will emerge victorious as the next President of Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar is not just a politician; he is a colossus, a statesman, and a rallying figure for millions of Nigerians. His resolve, experience, and commitment to Nigeria’s progress explain why the greenhorns in the PDP, like Lere and his principal, are jittery. The truth, however inconvenient, remains that Atiku has never seized the PDP ticket at gunpoint. He contests like every other aspirant, putting his vision and plans before the people and allowing democracy to take its course. In politics, nobody gets what they want on a platter of gold; you work for it. Atiku is working strategically and collaborating, and he is the next president of this country!
Lere Olayinka, in his flawed logic, blames Atiku for every crisis in the PDP, conveniently ignoring the fact that his principal, Nyesom Wike, actively undermined the party in the 2023 elections. Just as he did in the lead-up to the 2023 elections, especially during the 2020/2021 Congress of the Party,he systematically frustrated Dave Umahi in Ebonyi, Ben Ayade in Cross River, and Peter Obi in Anambra by commandeering the party’s structure in their respective states, thereby stripping them of critical home-base support.Is Wike now above reproach? Or is Olayinka attempting to rewrite history? If anyone is responsible for the party’s current state, it is those who worked against Atiku and PDP in 2023 and now have the audacity to seek the presidency themselves. As the adage goes, “What a man sows, he will reap.”
One can understand how Wike is working against the party out of unjustified vendetta. He claimed he fought Atiku in the 2023 election because he wanted fairness, yet the same Wike wanted to be Atiku’s running mate. What kind of somersaulting principle is that? You wanted to be president, you lost, and you went to congratulate the winner, Atiku Abubakar, lobbying to become his vice-presidential candidate. You lost again and suddenly became embittered, crying like a baby whose candy has been snatched away. Now you claim you are fighting and destroying the PDP in the name of fairness. Why can’t Wike be honest enough to admit he was pained by his loss rather than creating this false narrative of fighting for justice?
Let us ask the obvious question: has Wike’s antics and crisis-creating agenda in the PDP affected Atiku in any meaningful way? The answer is a resounding no! Wike has been undermining the PDP for years: recently he worked against the party in Edo, sabotaged it in Ondo, and recently aligned with the APC narrative, with Ganduje proclaiming that APC’s next targets are Osun and Oyo States.
Wike himself is working in cohorts with APC as Ganduje recently declared that Rivers is the next on their list. Is this what any sane PDP member should celebrate? Instead, Wike and his cohorts would have us believe that Atiku’s interest in the 2027 presidency is the root cause of the crisis. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The reality is that Wike’s antics reveal him to be more of an APC agent than a PDP stalwart. His actions suggest a calculated attempt to serve Tinubu’s interests, not the PDP’s. One can only sympathise with the PDP governors who stand a chance of winning their second terms but now face the threat of Wike’s cantankerous and anti-party politics. If they are not careful, this selfish agenda will consume their chances and derail the party further.
Let me remind Lere and his ilk that democracy, as Faith Baldwin rightly observed, is “the art of thinking independently together.” Atiku has every right to contest, just as others have the right to vote for or against him in the primaries. This is the essence of democracy—the decision of the majority prevails, not the whims of disgruntled individuals. Lere and his cohorts have no authority to determine who should or should not run. Atiku’s candidacy is not a matter for their personal grievances but a decision for millions of Nigerians who believe in his vision.
Those who sabotaged the PDP in 2023 have forfeited any moral standing to lecture Atiku on party unity. Their heckling is immaterial. Their fear is palpable. The lily-livered politicians are terrified of Atiku contesting in 2027 because they know his popularity is unstoppable. Instead of wasting energy on baseless attacks, Lere should focus on rehabilitating his principal’s damaged image and addressing the divisions he has sown within the party.
Let me also remind Lere that Atiku’s collaboration with like-minded political figures, including Peter Obi, is already causing sleepless nights in APC circles. Even the most insulated cocoon of APC leadership knows that this alliance could spell the end of their reign. Yet, Atiku remains unbothered by the plots of those determined to perpetuate crisis within the PDP. He is focused on rescuing Nigeria from the shackles of misgovernance.
As Paule Marshall once wrote, “When the tide rises, it lifts all boats.” Atiku represents that rising tide—a force capable of lifting Nigeria from the abyss of hardship and disunity. To Wike, his aides, and others creating crises within the PDP: the fire you are lighting may ultimately consume you. If you continue down this path, history will remember you as the architects of PDP’s undoing, not Atiku Abubakar.
Let us be clear: Atiku’s commitment to Nigeria transcends petty politics. His candidacy is not driven by personal ambition but by a profound belief in the potential of our nation. Lere Olayinka should stop his delusions and get busy with something constructive—perhaps image laundering for his principal, Wike, whose political antics are fast becoming a liability.
Atiku is not just contesting in 2027; he is poised to redefine Nigeria’s destiny. To his detractors: brace yourselves, for what goes around, comes around.
Aare Amerijoye DOT. B a political activist is from Ekiti State, South-West, Nigeria