Paul Ibe, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media adviser, believes his principal deserves a Nobel Prize for his repeated bids to become Nigeria’s president.
Atiku, a presidential candidate since 1992, is in the running for the 2027 presidential election, despite the fact that the former vice president has yet to openly declare his interest in the upcoming election.
While speaking on Trust TV’s ‘Daily Politics’ on Thursday, Ibe dismissed the narrative that Atiku has contested for presidential election too many times.
He said, “Atiku Abubakar has been on the ballot three times for the record. That was in 2007 under the AC, 2019, PDP, and 2023, PDP. So, it’s actually three times.”
When told that the ex-vice president has been an aspirant five times, in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, Ibe said, “Atiku Abubakar should get a Nobel Prize for that,” adding that “the former vice president feels that he has something to offer.”
According to the aide, the Waziri Adamawa feels obligated to Nigeria because the “country has given him so much.”
He said, “Don’t forget, you’ve read his books. What he has said about his life is that the man feels obligated to Nigeria, which has given him so much: an opportunity for education when he was young and an opportunity to work in the customs. And after he left the customs, the man went into business, had a foresight about the direction that Nigeria was going to, and set up an oil and gas logistics company.”
Ibe emphasized that Atiku was already a billionaire before he became Nigeria’s vice president in 1999. He added that his principal single-handedly bought Wadata Plaza for the PDP.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s national offices are located at Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
“Atiku single-handedly bought the Wadata Plaza for the PDP. That was how wealthy he was before entering government,” he said.
