Atiku calls on Tinubu to drop 2027 re-election bid

On July 16, 2026, former Vice President and presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar called on President Bola Tinubu to abandon his 2027 reelection bid, citing what he described as a pattern of serial governance failures and institutional confusion that has damaged Nigeria's international credibility. The call was made in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, which focused on a recent leadership crisis at the Border Communities Development Agency as emblematic of broader administrative disorder.

Atiku specifically questioned the ongoing confusion at the BCDA, where Dr. Dakorinama Alabo George, the agency's former Executive Secretary, has reportedly refused to vacate his office despite a presidential appointment of Abdulrazak Saad Namdas as his replacement. Atiku asked how a president could publicly appoint a new agency head, only for the outgoing official to remain in office, continue exercising authority, and be listed as chief executive on the agency's website weeks later. He warned that such contradictions erode national credibility with investors and development partners.

The former vice president framed the BCDA situation as the latest in a series of similar...