Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured that the Yoruba people will remain central to his policies if he emerges president in the 2027 election.
Atiku dismissed fears that his presidency could lead to Hausa/Fulani domination, describing such concerns as unfounded. According to him, his marital and personal ties with the Yoruba have made the ethnic group an integral part of his life.
“The entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws,” Atiku said in a statement issued in Abuja by his media aide, Kola Johnson.
He recalled his marriage in the 1970s to his first wife, Titi, an Ijesha-born Yoruba woman, as proof of his long-standing connection to the South-West. “We have four Yoruba children together, and she is now over 75 years old. My children sometimes call me ‘Baba Rere,’ meaning good father,” he said.
The former vice president emphasized that Yoruba interests would “occupy a topmost place” in his policymaking, stressing that he has always been surrounded by Yoruba friends and allies. He also described Titi as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value,” highlighting the bond that ties him to the South-West.
“Anyone who knows me knows I am naturally a detribalized person. Even before politics, I mixed freely with people across ethnic, religious, and cultural lines,” Atiku added.
Atiku, who came second in the 2023 presidential election won by President Bola Tinubu, has declared his intention to contest again in 2027.
