Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to remarks by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, asserting that he does not require “validation from political opportunists.”
Bwala, who once served as the spokesperson for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently advised the former vice president to come to terms with the idea that “the presidency may not be part of his destiny.”
“If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny. God gives power to whomsoever He chooses. And it seems from the facts on the ground that it may not have been the will of God for you to govern Nigeria,” Bwala said during the interview.
However, Atiku’s media team hit back, describing Bwala’s remarks as “sanctimonious pontificating laced with bitterness and duplicity.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku’s media office described Bwala as a “political opportunist” and a “turncoat,” accusing him of hypocrisy and opportunism following his comments during a televised interview on Monday.
“It is both ironic and pathetic that Mr Bwala — a political turncoat who once served as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign — now presumes to lecture a statesman of global standing on matters of legacy, destiny, and retirement,” the statement read.
“Atiku Abubakar neither seeks nor requires validation from political opportunists who shed principles as easily as they change parties. Mr Bwala’s current relevance, if any, is owed entirely to the platform he once occupied under Atiku’s leadership — a fact that should breed humility, not arrogance.”
Obsession, Persistent Attacks
The statement also accused the Tinubu camp of being “obsessed” with Atiku, noting that the administration’s persistent attacks suggest it perceives Atiku as a political threat.
“The Tinubu camp’s obsession with Atiku’s political future is no coincidence. If, as they claim, Atiku is a spent force, why the relentless smear campaign? Why the strategic allocation of presidential platforms to attack him?
“The answer is plain: Atiku Abubakar remains the single most formidable opposition figure in Nigeria, and the coalition he is forging represents a clear and present danger to the decaying edifice of the ruling party,” it stated.
Atiku’s team further highlighted the significance of the opposition coalition he is leading, calling it “a broad-based alliance aimed at reclaiming Nigeria from economic collapse, institutional failure, and democratic erosion.”
“Legacy is not defined by the trappings of office but by courage, consistency, and conviction. Atiku Abubakar’s legacy — as a unifier, builder, and patriot — is deeply etched in the consciousness of millions of Nigerians. It is impervious to the revisionist bile of yesterday’s defectors turned today’s defenders of dysfunction,” the statement added.
Focused and Unshaken
Bwala had also claimed that Atiku had lost “substantial people, probably 60 to 70 percent” from his political camp, and warned that if Atiku persists in his presidential ambitions, “his political ending might not be as palatable as he’s thinking.”
The Atiku media office, however, reaffirmed the former vice president’s commitment to his political goals, saying he remains “focused and unshaken” in his pursuit of Nigeria’s progress.
“The rescue and rebuilding of Nigeria is a task of urgent national importance — far too important to be derailed by the petty ego trips of desperate presidential aides,” the statement added.
The comments come amid ongoing defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with rumours suggesting that some opposition governors may soon join the ruling party.