Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his long-standing ambition to become President of Nigeria, saying he has spent 33 years pursuing the nation’s highest political office.
Fani-Kayode made the claim in a lengthy commentary titled “The Seventh Bid of Waziri.”
In the commentary, Fani-kayode reviewed Atiku’s political career, his previous presidential contests, movement between political parties and his long-running political battles with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku is currently the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 election. The party has formally submitted his nomination particulars to the Independent National Electoral Commission, while former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, is his running mate.
According to Fani-Kayode, Atiku’s presidential ambition dates back to 1993, when he contested the Social Democratic Party presidential primary. He said Atiku subsequently contested the 2007 presidential election under the Action Congress, participated in the PDP primary for the 2011 election, contested the APC primary ahead of the 2015 election, and was the PDP presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023.
“Waziri Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, has attempted to become President of our nation no less than six times and his latest attempt is the 7th,” Fani-Kayode wrote.
Records of Atiku’s political contests show that he participated in the 1993 SDP presidential primary, contested the 2007 election as the Action Congress candidate, lost the PDP presidential primary to then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, and lost the APC primary to Muhammadu Buhari in 2014 ahead of the 2015 election. He later became the PDP candidate in 2019 and 2023.
Fani-Kayode argued that Atiku’s repeated attempts to become president were remarkable given the length of time he had remained active in presidential politics.
“In a country of 230 million people one man has been trying to be President for 33 years, has failed each time, and is now attempting it again for the 7th time,” he said.
He also focused on Atiku’s movement across political parties, arguing that the former vice president had belonged to several political platforms since entering partisan politics.
Fani-Kayode listed the Social Democratic Party, United Nigeria Congress Party, Peoples Democratic Party, Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, All Progressives Congress and African Democratic Congress among the parties associated with Atiku at different periods.
He described Atiku as a “political wanderer” and alleged that the former vice president had often treated political parties primarily as platforms for pursuing his presidential ambition.
A major part of Fani-Kayode’s criticism centred on Atiku’s relationship with Obasanjo during their years in government. Atiku served as vice president under Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, with the pair winning the 1999 and 2003 presidential elections on the PDP platform.
Fani-Kayode alleged that tensions between the two men intensified during Obasanjo’s second term and claimed that Atiku sought to challenge his principal politically.
He recalled his own role in the dispute, saying he confronted Atiku during Federal Executive Council meetings while serving as Minister of Aviation.
“Atiku betrayed Obasanjo to such a point that I, as Minister of Aviation at the time, was constrained to demand that he should be thrown out of cabinet meetings on two separate occasions during full sessions of cabinet,” Fani-Kayode alleged.
He claimed that on one occasion, Obasanjo intervened and appealed to other ministers to allow Atiku to remain in the meeting. According to Fani-Kayode, a similar confrontation occurred weeks later, after which Atiku apologised to the cabinet.
“Obasanjo again appealed to us to allow him to stay but compelled him to apologise to the entire cabinet there and then,” he wrote.
Fani-Kayode further claimed that Atiku did not attend another cabinet meeting after the incident.
The former minister also criticised Atiku over his movement between political parties, particularly his departure from the PDP, subsequent membership of the APC and eventual return to the PDP before joining the ADC.
Atiku emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate in May 2026 after the party’s primary, where the party said he defeated Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
The ADC subsequently selected Amaechi as his running mate and later confirmed that the names of both candidates had been uploaded to the INEC nomination portal for the 2027 election.
Fani-Kayode also used his commentary to criticise Atiku’s approach to political alliances and internal party disagreements. He alleged that Atiku’s political activities had contributed to divisions within parties he belonged to, including the PDP and, more recently, the ADC.
“Anytime he does not get his way or his ambition to become the flagbearer of whichever party he is in is threatened, the party must be broken,” he alleged.
He also criticised Atiku’s position on issues surrounding power rotation and accused him of opposing a shift of presidential power to the South. Fani-Kayode cited Atiku’s presidential contests against Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, Buhari in 2019 and Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi in 2023 as part of his argument.
Fani-Kayode went further to make allegations concerning Atiku’s time as vice president, mentioning controversies linked to the Mambilla power project, Siemens, Halliburton, INTELS, the William Jefferson case and other alleged financial dealings.
However, he acknowledged that the allegations he referenced had not resulted in a Nigerian trial or conviction against Atiku.
“To be fair none of these cases have, at least so far, resulted in a Nigerian trial or conviction,” he said, while maintaining that the controversies had generated questions and allegations over the years.
Fani-Kayode also criticised Atiku over his current campaign and alleged that the former vice president was prepared to take positions he considered politically advantageous in pursuit of votes.
He particularly referred to the issue of fuel subsidy, alleging that Atiku’s position on restoring the subsidy could have serious economic consequences. Such claims represent Fani-Kayode’s political assessment rather than an established outcome.
The former minister concluded by comparing Atiku’s political journey with that of former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who eventually won the presidency after several unsuccessful attempts.
Fani-Kayode argued that the comparison was not appropriate and maintained that Atiku’s political record was fundamentally different from Wade’s.
He also predicted that Atiku would lose the 2027 presidential election, saying, “This will be proved in January 2027 when you will be defeated by your old friend and arch-nemesis and be compelled to go back to Dubai and retire in peace.”
Atiku’s campaign, meanwhile, has continued to build its structure ahead of the 2027 election. On September 25, his campaign announced a National Campaign Council and Presidential Campaign Management Committee, with former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai named among those given senior responsibilities.
