Presidential aide Daniel Bwala has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may never become Nigeria’s president, claiming that his repeated failures suggest it was never destined to happen.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Bwala who served as Atiku’s campaign spokesperson during the 2023 election said his former principal has done everything possible to win the presidency but has continually failed.
“In all honesty, I have expressed my opinion that it may never have been destined by God for him to be president,” Bwala said.
“He has done everything he needs to do to be president, and he did not win. 2023 was the biggest opportunity Atiku Abubakar had, and he will never have that kind of privilege again.”
Bwala, now a Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, dismissed the chances of Atiku and other opposition figures like Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi to unseat Tinubu in 2027.
‘Opposition Has No Alternative Plans’
The presidential aide ridiculed the newly formed ADC coalition, a group of opposition politicians who recently adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their joint platform to challenge Tinubu in the next election.
According to Bwala, the coalition lacks the vision or coherent policies needed to win the confidence of Nigerians.
“This coalition of internally displaced politicians has not been able to come up with alternative facts, alternative policies, or alternative programmes,” he said.
“Even during Peter Obi’s interview, he didn’t provide real counter-arguments to the policies of this administration.”
‘Coalition Will Collapse in Six Months’
Bwala further predicted that the ADC alliance would crumble within six months due to internal rivalry over who becomes the presidential candidate.
“All this fantasy of coalition will fade,” he said. “Once they sit down and realize everyone wants to be president, they will scatter.”
He cited a remark by Datti Baba-Ahmed, Peter Obi’s former running mate, who admitted that the coalition’s biggest challenge would be deciding who leads it.
Bwala said the looming internal conflict would make things easier for President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.