By Usman Ishaq Shehu
PhD Candidate | Editor in Chief, J.O.Comms | Public Affairs Analyst and Strategic Communicator
Atiku Abubakar has once again shown Nigerians that for him, politics is nothing more than a desperate game of ambition even at the expense of national unity and regional pride. By defecting from the People’s Democratic Party at a time when the country is mourning the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku has demonstrated a staggering level of insensitivity and political recklessness. His timing is not just off, it is insulting to the North, dishonourable to Buhari’s legacy, and an affront to the conscience of a grieving nation.
While Atiku was playing politics, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was showing leadership. As a southerner, he rose above partisanship and ethnic lines to honour the late President Buhari with dignity. Tinubu declared a national holiday, attended the funeral personally in Daura, and led Nigerians in a united moment of mourning. Yesterday, everyone was touched by what President Tinubu did in honouring President Buhari. He played a role that Atiku, a northerner, failed to play. At a time when the North expected unity and loyalty, it was President Tinubu who stood with them and honoured their son. Tinubu showed that true leadership is not defined by geography but by values. He is a true unifier who leads with honour when others chase ambition.
Atiku’s political journey has become a tired story of selfish ambition and endless defections. He has hopped from party to party with no ideology, no commitment to progress, and no regard for national unity. His latest move confirms that he has learned nothing from his repeated failures. Nigerians are no longer fooled. They see a man who lacks the temperament, timing, and integrity to lead. The North remembers. They remember who stood with them in times of sorrow and who chose to chase power while they mourned a beloved son of the region.
Atiku cannot win the 2027 election. Not under PDP, not under ADC, not under any political contraption he might dream up next. He has burned too many bridges, insulted too many values, and ignored too many warnings. Nigerians, both in the North and across the country, are tired of recycled ambition wrapped in empty promises. Atiku has made himself irrelevant by refusing to change his ways.
President Tinubu, by contrast, continues to prove that leadership is about emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and firm decision making. He continues to unite where others divide. He leads with honour where others play politics. He respects traditions where others disregard them. In 2027, Nigerians will remember who honoured their pain and who exploited it. They will remember who stood tall as a leader and who stumbled once again as a politician past his prime. Atiku Abubakar’s ambition is finished, not by Tinubu, but by his own misjudgment.
