Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured that the Yoruba will occupy a “topmost place” in his administration’s policies if elected president in 2027.
In a statement issued Thursday in Abuja by his media consultant, Kola Johnson, Atiku dismissed fears that his presidency would result in Hausa/Fulani domination, calling such claims “absolutely unfounded.”
“The entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws,” he said, citing his first marriage to Titi, an Ijesha-born Yoruba woman, in the 1970s. “We have four Yoruba children together. She is now over 75 years old, and we are still together.”
Atiku described his wife as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value,” stressing that his marital and personal ties to the South-West underscored his commitment to Yoruba interests. He added, “This is why the Yoruba, whether individually or collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart.”
The former vice president pledged that the South-West would be central to his policymaking if he becomes president in 2027. He also described himself as “highly detribalised,” saying he has always built friendships and political alliances across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and religious groups.
Atiku, who was runner-up in the 2023 presidential election, is positioning himself to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 polls.
