Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made a direct appeal to the Yoruba people for their support in the 2027 presidential election, highlighting his long-standing personal and familial connections to the South-West.

In a statement issued by his media consultant, Kola Johnson, Atiku cited his first marriage to Titi, a Yoruba woman from Ijesha, in the 1970s.

He emphasized that the union, which produced four children, has created a “genetic bond of a family” between him and the Yoruba people.

“My children with Titi sometimes call me ‘Baba Rere’, meaning good father. I am extremely in love with my children and serve as a good father to them, as I urge every father to do the same to their children,” Atiku said.

He described his Ijesha-born wife as his “Jewel of Inestimable Value” and insisted that the Yoruba had always been among his closest friends and political allies.

Atiku reassured the community that if elected president, the South-West’s interests would be a priority in his policymaking and governance.

He also sought to quell fears of “Hausa/Fulani domination,” calling such concerns “absolutely unfounded.”

“Anyone who knows me will tell you with all sincerity that as a person, I am naturally a highly detribalized person. Even before I could ever venture into politics, I flowed easily and effortlessly with people of diverse tribes, ethnicity, religion, and whatever sectarian differences,” Atiku added.

Atiku is leading the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu, who is a Yoruba from the Southwest in 2027 presidential election. (Nigerian Tribune)