Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has criticised Atiku Abubakar’s decision to seek Nigeria’s presidency for a seventh time, alleging that the former vice president would harm the country if elected.
Fani-Kayode made the claims in an article published on Sunday, titled “The Seventh Bid of Waziri.” He focused on Atiku’s six previous unsuccessful attempts, his movement between political parties and his promise to restore fuel subsidy.
Fani-Kayode said Atiku’s subsidy position was particularly troubling because, in his view, restoring the policy would reverse economic gains made in the last three years.
He wrote that Atiku had said he would restore fuel subsidy as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), claiming the policy would “utterly destroy Nigeria”.
The claim is Fani-Kayode’s assessment. His article did not provide an independent economic assessment to support the prediction.
Seven presidential attempts
Fani-Kayode traced Atiku’s presidential contests back to 1993, when he contested the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primary and lost to MKO Abiola.
He listed Atiku’s other contests as the 2007 presidential election under the Action Congress, the 2011 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary, the 2015 All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, and the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections.
Atiku lost the 2007 election to Umaru Yar’Adua, with Muhammadu Buhari finishing second. He also lost the 2011 PDP primary to Goodluck Jonathan and the 2015 APC primary to Buhari.
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In 2019, he contested as the PDP presidential candidate and lost to Buhari. Four years later, he lost to Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
Fani-Kayode said the 2027 contest would be Atiku’s seventh attempt at the presidency.
He compared Atiku’s record with six people he said had contested for the presidency of their countries at least seven times. They include Pascual Racuyal of the Philippines, Nicolás Zúñiga y Miranda of Mexico, Harold Stassen and Jack Fellure of the United States, Lyndon LaRouche of the United States and Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade.
Fani-Kayode noted that Wade eventually won the Senegalese presidency on his fifth and sixth attempts before losing on his seventh.
Party changes and Obasanjo dispute
The former minister also focused on Atiku’s political history, saying he had belonged to several parties since entering politics.
He listed the SDP, United Nigeria Congress Party, PDP, Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, APC and ADC among the parties associated with Atiku’s political career.
Fani-Kayode also revisited the long-running political dispute between Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He alleged that Atiku worked against Obasanjo during their time in government and sought to replace him as the PDP presidential candidate in 2003.
Fani-Kayode, who served as Aviation Minister under Obasanjo, said he confronted Atiku during two Federal Executive Council meetings and demanded that he leave the cabinet.
He claimed Atiku later apologised to the cabinet after the second incident and did not attend another cabinet meeting.
Fani-Kayode presented the episode as evidence of what he regarded as a long-standing struggle by Atiku to attain the presidency.
Corruption allegations revisited
Fani-Kayode also listed several corruption allegations previously associated with Atiku, including the Mambilla Power Plant, Siemens, Halliburton, INTELS, William J. Jefferson and Leno Adesanya cases.
However, he acknowledged that the allegations had not resulted in a Nigerian trial or conviction against Atiku.
“To be fair none of these cases have, at least so far, resulted in a Nigerian trial or conviction,” he wrote.
He said the cases had nevertheless produced records involving foreign regulators and left questions about Atiku’s past conduct.
Fani-Kayode also alleged that Atiku had engaged a foreign public relations company to attack President Tinubu in international media and claimed that $1.2 million was paid for the work.
That allegation was presented by Fani-Kayode without supporting evidence in the article.
What readers should know
Fani-Kayode’s article is an opinion piece containing political accusations and assessments, not a court finding or an independent investigation. He made claims about Atiku’s motives, political conduct, and possible corruption.
The former minister also made a prediction about the 2027 election, saying Atiku would lose his seventh attempt. That is Fani-Kayode’s political prediction, not an established election result.
Atiku is currently seeking the presidency on the ADC platform for the January 2027 election. His seventh bid has now become the main subject of Fani-Kayode’s criticism, with the former minister using Atiku’s electoral history, party changes and policy positions to make his case.
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