The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asserted that Nigerians are not seriously considering former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a viable candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Felix Morka, the APC’s national publicity secretary, expressed this view during an appearance on Channels Television’s program, ‘Politics Today,’ on Monday evening. He argued that Atiku’s eight-year tenure as vice president failed to improve the living conditions of Nigerians, implying that he is unlikely to achieve better results as president.
“During their time in office, they neither eliminated poverty nor hunger, nor did they resolve the security challenges or any form of deprivation faced by Nigerians. Then, after handing over to another administration that governed for eight years, the situation remained unchanged. When people make provocative claims ignoring these facts, it is both misleading and regrettable,” Morka stated.
The APC spokesperson was responding specifically to Atiku’s remarks on the same day, where the former vice president criticized President Bola Tinubu’s government for showing no clear progress in addressing the widespread hunger and poverty two years into his administration.
“I won’t dwell much on Atiku’s comments. Nigerians are observant and understand the motives behind his statements. He is clearly driven by a hunger for power,” Morka said.
“He believes that by disparaging the government and spreading falsehoods, Nigerians will suddenly choose him as president. However, Nigerians have rejected him repeatedly. Frankly, I don’t think there is any serious consideration among Nigerians to elect Atiku as president,” he added.
“He should step back now. He served his time in office, but today, he has become largely irrelevant when it comes to shaping Nigeria’s future prosperity,” the APC official concluded.
Defending President Tinubu’s policies, Morka acknowledged that while some measures have caused short-term difficulties for citizens, they are beginning to produce positive outcomes, and the nation is steadily improving.
“The current challenges are largely the result of failures by previous administrations to take necessary actions. The inflation spike we witnessed was a temporary effect of essential policies that the president courageously implemented,” he explained.
“The governments before Buhari, including Jonathan’s, managed an economy that was essentially illusory. I call it a ‘phantom economy’ because it lacked real substance. Buhari’s role was corrective; he stepped in to stabilize a country teetering on the brink after 16 years of mismanagement by the PDP,” Morka elaborated.
“Buhari’s administration acted as a stabilizer, preventing Nigeria from collapsing. Anyone succeeding Jonathan would have faced an enormous challenge to fix the extensive damage left behind, regardless of their expertise or intentions,” he added.
“Now, this government is rebuilding the economy from the ground up. Today, Nigeria’s economy stands on a much firmer foundation,” Morka concluded.
