The wife of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Titi Abubakar, has urged Nigerian youths to support her husband in the 2027 presidential election, saying his performance in office could make Nigerians demand a second term despite his one-term pledge.
Titi made the appeal at an ADC All Support Groups Town Hall Meeting in Abuja, according to Daily Trust.
She urged young Nigerians to take ownership of the political process and mobilise support for the party ahead of the election.
Although Atiku has pledged to serve only one term if elected, Titi said Nigerians could persuade him to remain in office for another term based on his performance.
She said, “By the grace of God, when Atiku comes to this saddle, people will yearn that Atiku should continue and do a second term.”
According to her, an Atiku presidency would also give the former vice president an opportunity to groom his deputy for succession.
“By then, he would have tutored his deputy; maybe the deputy will take over from him,” she said.
Titi described her husband as an experienced politician and philanthropist who would not need to learn the business of governance if elected president.
“Atiku is a sellable material. That is why I am so proud of my husband. Atiku is a philanthropist. Atiku has done it before. Atiku is not going to learn on the job. And Atiku is not a novice,” she said.
She said Atiku was seeking the presidency to improve the lives of Nigerians rather than enrich himself.
“Atiku is a man of honour, a man of his word. Atiku is not coming to chop government money. Atiku wants to give back to you people. Atiku wants you people to know what it is all about the government,” she said.
Titi said youths would be central to the ADC campaign, describing them as the party’s “foot soldiers” ahead of the election.
She added that Atiku had pledged to allocate 40 per cent of government appointments to youths and women if elected.
She urged young supporters to focus on grassroots mobilisation and ensure that votes cast for the ADC were protected at polling units.
The former vice president’s wife also advised voters against exchanging their votes for money, warning that doing so could undermine the future of younger generations.
“ADC doesn’t have that money to give you. Don’t be a sellout. Because these people, they have all our money in their kitties.
“Don’t allow them to come and give you money and you sell your conscience. If you sell your vote, you are selling the vote of your generation yet unborn,” she said.
Titi also criticised the state of governance under the Bola Tinubu administration, alleging that the rule of law and constitutional order had been undermined while the economy remained in poor shape.
“Now, today, we have no constitution. We have no rule of law. Nothing is working. Our economy is in shambles,” she said.
She questioned the state of the country’s budgeting process and said Nigerians were struggling amid the economic situation.
“Right from 2023 up to date, there is no budget in Nigeria. And I wonder how people are living. I wonder how people are eating,” she said.
Titi said an Atiku-led government would seek to reverse what she described as the failures of the current administration and restore confidence in governance.
“Atiku wants to put things right. We want to be like other nations, but here and now we don’t have anything at all. We are not proud of ourselves,” she added.
Her comments came days after First Lady Oluremi Tinubu appealed to voters in the South-East to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The First Lady made the appeal during an official engagement in Owerri, Imo State, where she distributed empowerment items to women and called for support for her husband.
The ADC town hall, themed ‘Together We Can Build the Nigeria We Desire,’ focused on grassroots mobilisation, polling-unit coordination, vote protection and increased participation by youths, women and support groups in the party’s 2027 campaign.
