‘Presidency may not be your destiny’, Atiku’s former aide, Bwala, tells ex-VP

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, has advised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to reconsider his long-standing presidential ambition, suggesting that the path to Nigeria’s highest office may not be part of his destiny.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on TVC, Bwala encouraged Abubakar to accept the realities of Nigeria’s political landscape and consider supporting President Tinubu’s administration in the spirit of national unity and legacy-building.

“If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny,’” Bwala said. “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, himself a former supporter of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and aide to the former VP, appealed to Atiku’s sense of statesmanship, urging him to shift from aspiration to collaboration.

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He suggested that Atiku, who has contested for Nigeria’s presidency six times, could still leave a significant imprint on the nation’s future — not by occupying the presidency himself, but by contributing meaningfully to governance through his longstanding relationship with Tinubu.

“There are many other ways you can contribute,” Bwala said. “Since you have been a friend to President Bola Tinubu for many years, come together and bring your contribution towards the Nigeria that both of you wanted to create for the Nigerian people.”

According to Bwala, such a move could redefine the former vice president’s legacy, showing political maturity and national sacrifice.

“Your legacy will be that in your political dying days, you will be able to achieve some of your dreams, albeit through your friend,” he added.

However, Bwala warned that continued pursuit of the presidency could end in disappointment, pointing to growing divisions within Atiku’s political camp.

“Right now, from his political family, he has lost substantial people — probably 60 to 70 percent,” he said. “Younger politicians who once followed him are now seeking power in their own right.”

The adviser’s comments come at a time of shifting allegiances in Nigerian politics, with increasing defections from the PDP and other opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Speculation is also mounting that several governors from opposition states may soon align with the APC.

In March, Atiku himself acknowledged uncertainty over his political future, stating that his potential candidacy in the 2027 elections would depend on the existence of “a viable platform.”

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