The clock is ticking toward 2027, and for Demola Olarewaju, the senior political assistant to Atiku Abubakar, there is no room for doubt: if the former vice president walks away now, the opposition’s pulse flatlines. Speaking on Tuesday, Olarewaju delivered a stark warning that no other figure in the opposition ranks currently possesses the firepower to go toe-to-toe with President Bola Tinubu, both on the home front and across the international stage.
In a series of posts on X, Olarewaju hammered home the stakes. “Atiku steps down now and opposition momentum dies totally,” he wrote, pointing out that a race featuring an incumbent president is a far different beast from a transition election. He framed 2027 as a pivotal moment that transcends any single candidate, insisting that Atiku is not just a contender but the bridge needed to forge a durable opposition coalition long after the ballots are counted.
“Atiku is the only candidate showing capacity to match Bola Tinubu locally and internationally in 2027,” Olarewaju asserted, urging supporters to brace for a unique and unpredictable political season. He also took a pointed look back at the 2023 election, arguing that the outcome was shaped by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s lukewarm investment in Tinubu’s victory. That, he claimed, is why the APC lost ground in Lagos and why communal rigging went unchecked in several states.
With the 2027 contest looming, Olarewaju’s message is clear: the opposition’s survival hinges on Atiku staying the course, and anyone betting on his early exit should think again.
