By Victor Otuya
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Waziri of Adamawa, was born on November 25, 1946, in Jada village, Adamawa State. He is now 79 years old, making him the oldest candidate in the 2027 race.
He is not a newcomer. He has contested for Nigeria’s highest office six times, although he has appeared on the presidential ballot as a candidate on three occasions – in 2007, 2019, and 2023.
His political journey:
In 1989, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar retired from Nigeria Customs Service after 20 years to join politics. In 1991, he contested for the then Governor of Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba) states. However, that regime collapsed due to June 12, 1993, presidential election annulment, and the eventual Late General Sani Abacha led military coup .In 1998, he was again elected Governor of Adamawa State, waiting for the swearing in until Obasanjo picked him as his running mate in 1999.
Between 1999-2007, Atiku Abubakar served as the 11th Vice President of Nigeria under President Olusegun Obasanjo for two full terms.
In 2007, he left the.PDP and contested for the President under the Action Congress (AC) after falling out with Obasanjo over third-term agenda but lost to His Excellency Alhaji Umaru Yaradua He later returned to the PDP.
In 2019, he contested again , this time as the candidate of the PDP, but lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 2023, he contested as PDP candidate but finished second with 6,984,520 votes behind President Bola Tinubu, who won with 8,794,726 votes.
In 2026/2027, he left the PDP again to emerge as presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He secured 1,846,370 votes out of 2,527,977 votes cast in the ADC primary, defeating former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi who polled 504,117 votes.
For the 2027, presidential election, INEC had earlier published Atiku’s name as the ADC’s candidate with Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, as his running mate. Amaechi brings South-South balance to the ticket.
Meanwhile, important latest developments saw
a Federal High Court in Abuja on November 5, 2026 nullified the leadership of the ADC led by Senator David Mark and invalidated all decisions taken by the party’s caretaker committee, including the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Athough, Atiku’s camp says they will challenge this at the Court of Appeal, describing it as a calculated attempt to weaken the party. INEC says it will meet to consider the implications after obtaining the Certified True Copy of the judgment. As of today, his candidacy is in legal uncertainty, but his name is still on INEC’s final list published on October 31, 2026.
ACADEMIC RECORD
Atiku’s academic record is more documented at primary and secondary level than Tinubu’s, but his higher education is mainly diplomas, not a first degree until later in life.
According to his Form EC9 submitted to INEC for 2027:
– First School Leaving Certificate: 1954
– West African School Certificate: 1961 from Adamawa Provincial Secondary School, Yola.
– School of Hygiene, Kano: Diploma in 1967
– Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria: Diploma in Law in 1969 on scholarship.
– Master’s degree in International Relations: From Anglia Ruskin University, UK, completed in 2020 (some records say 2021). He obtained it at age 74, showing his interest in lifelong education.
He briefly attended the Nigeria Police College, Kaduna, but left for academic reasons.
Objective Summary:.Unlike Tinubu and Obi, Atiku does not have a traditional B.Sc. from a university in his youth. His formal qualifications were diplomas. His supporters say this does not matter because his 20 years in Customs and 8 years as Vice President gave him more practical education than a degree. His critics, especially from the APC camp, have mocked his School of Hygiene diploma. Atiku’s camp fired back, asking APC to explain Tinubu’s school records instead.
What is not in dispute is that he is educated and articulate, and he founded a university.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN PAST OFFICES
IN Nigeria Customs Service (1969-1989)
Atiku joined the Nigeria Customs Service in 1969 and served for 20 years, rising to the rank of Deputy Director, the second highest position then. He served at Idi-Iroko border, Ikeja Airport, Apapa Ports, and Ibadan. He retired voluntarily in April 1989.
He says he made money not from corruption but from business while in service – starting as a transporter in 1971, buying Peugeot 404 pickups on hire-purchase to convey passengers between Lagos and Cotonou, and building his first house in Yola with a N31,000 loan in 1974 which he rented out.
AFTER CUSTOMS
After Customs, Atiku became one of Nigeria’s biggest businessmen.
He Co-founded the INTELS Nigeria Limited, which s1tarted as Nigeria Container Services (NICOTES) with Italian businessman Gabriel Volpi in the early 1980s. It grew into a multi-billion naira oil and gas logistics company providing over 15,000 jobs.
He also established the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, in 2004, the first American-style private university in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Other businesses founded by Atiku are: Adama Beverages Company, Animal Feed Factory, and large agricultural venture spanning over 2,500 hectares of land cultivated with maize and cotton near Yola. He also interest in real estate.
Alhaji Atiku in several of his interviews claims he created over 50,000 direct jobs and 250,000 indirect jobs in Adamawa alone, making him the largest private employer in the state after the state government.
As Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) – His Main Public Record
This is where Atiku’s supporters say he proved himself. He was not a spare-tyre vice president. He was the de facto economic driver of Obasanjo’s government.
His achievements as Chairman of National Economic Council and National Council on Privatization:
1. Telecoms Revolution: He supervised the liberalization that gave birth to GSM. From fewer than 500,000 phone lines in 1999, Nigeria grew to over 30 million lines by 2007.
2. Banking Consolidation: He gave political backing for the banking consolidation that raised bank capitalization to N25 billion. He says: “Because of that banking consolidation, Nigerian banks don’t fail anymore the way they used to.”
3. Privatization: He oversaw the sale of hundreds of loss-making public enterprises. Under his watch, cement, ports, and airlines were liberalized. Dangote Cement blossomed under that policy environment.
4. Debt Relief: Nigeria secured a historic deal with Paris Club, wiping off $18 billion in external debt.
5. Economic Growth: By 2007, GDP growth surged to 6.6%, inflation dropped to 6.6%, and foreign reserves swelled above $43 billion from barely $3.4 billion in 1999.
6. Third Term Fight: He successfully led the opposition to Obasanjo’s attempt to amend the constitution for a third term. This cost him his relationship with Obasanjo but earned him respect as a democrat.
Critics of his record say:
– Privatization was marred by allegations that friends and cronies bought state assets cheaply.
– He was accused of corruption in the US Senate report on his relationship with American lobbyist, though he was never convicted in Nigeria.
– He has changed parties too many times – PDP to AC to PDP to APC to PDP to ADC – which critics say shows lack of principle. His supporters say it shows he is a democrat who moves when a party loses direction.
HIS 2027 PROMISES
At his campaign flag-off in Sokoto in November 2026, Atiku pledged:
– To restore fuel subsidy, reopen Nigeria’s land borders for legitimate trade, and tackle insecurity.
He said: “We will restore subsidy back into our fuel and do everything humanly possible to bring an end to insecurity so as to ensure our people can go back to our farms.”
He proposed a production-based intervention for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, with fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval, and independent audits.
He also promises restructuring and fiscal federalism, which he has championed for years.
APC has criticized his subsidy promise, questioning its legal and fiscal framework under the Petroleum Industry Act.
STATES WITH STRONG SUPPORT
Atiku’s base is the North, but he is a national candidate:
1. North-East (Home Base): Adamawa (his state), Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe. He won Adamawa in 2023. He is Waziri of Adamawa, a highly respected traditional title.
2. North-West: Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi. He launched his 2027 campaign in Sokoto, which he calls the seat of the Sokoto Caliphate. He won Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto in 2023.
3. North-Central: Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger. He won Plateau in 2023.
4. South-South: Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom. His running mate Amaechi is from Rivers, which gives him a foothold in Rivers, though Wike’s influence there favours Tinubu.
5. South-East: He has some support in Enugu and Abia, but Obi remains dominant there.
6. South-West: This is his weakest zone. ADC South-West leadership recently reaffirmed support for him, saying, “We fully support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.” But Tinubu’s home base makes South-West very difficult for him. Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo are unlikely to go to Atiku.
CHANCES OF WINNING IN 2027 – OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
Advantages:
– Experience: He has the longest CV – Customs officer, businessman, VP for 8 years. Voters who want experience point to him.
– Northern Votes: He can unite Northern voters who are angry about hardship and insecurity.
– Amaechi Factor: Amaechi brings South-South, Rivers, and former APC structure.
– Anti-Tinubu Vote: Many Nigerians who want change see him as the main alternative to Tinubu.
Disadvantages:
– Age: At 79, he is the oldest candidate. Many youths say Nigeria needs a younger president. ADC says he will not be an “absentee President.”
– Legal Crisis: The November 5 court judgment nullifying his ADC nomination is a major threat. If Appeal Court does not reverse it before January 16, he may be removed from the ballot.
– Party Structure: ADC is not as strong as APC or PDP at grassroots. It lacks governors and state structures in most states.
– Perception of desperation: He has contested 6 times. Critics say he should step aside for younger leaders. His supporters say persistence is a virtue.
– Division: He is splitting opposition votes with Obi. In 2023, Atiku (6.9m) + Obi (6.1m) = 13m, more than Tinubu’s 8.7m. If they had united, they would have won. In 2027, they are still divided.
Polls: One Oxford-Metro Analytics poll put Tinubu on 35.41%, Obi on 33.86% and Atiku on 26.67%. This places Atiku in third place. However, that poll may not work exactly in Nigeria.
Verdict: As of today, Atiku is a strong contender but not the frontrunner. His chances depend on two things: First, winning his court case in ADC, and secondly, whether he can form an alliance with Obi. If he remains alone and the court case drags, he will likely finish the second or third. If he unites with Obi, he becomes the biggest threat to Tinubu and his re-election dream.
To be continued…
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