Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said that the Yoruba people will hold key positions in his government if he is elected President in 2027, dismissing fears of Hausa-Fulani domination under his leadership.
Yoruba Interests at the Heart of Governance
Atiku, who is married to a Yoruba woman, stated that he has deep personal and familial ties with the ethnic group.
In a statement issued by his media consultant, Kola Johnson, he said:
“It is also for this reason that the interest of the Yoruba will always occupy a topmost place in my policy making and governance if by the special Grace of Allah, I am lucky to be president in 2027. Therefore, the fear that my ascension to Presidency might lead to Hausa/Fulani domination over Yoruba or other ethnic group does not only arise, but also absolutely unfounded because the entire Yoruba stock are my larger extended family and in-laws. It is for this reason that I count myself extremely lucky to have a wife from amongst this noble specie of the human race. The bond uniting me with the Yoruba is like the genetic bond of a family, and this is why the Yoruba, whether individually or collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart.”
Personal Ties and Praise for the Yoruba
Highlighting his family connections, Atiku said his first wife, Titi Atiku Abubakar, is from Ijesa in Osun State, and they have four Yoruba children together
“She is now over 75 years old, and we are still together. My children with Titi sometimes call me Baba Rere, meaning ‘good father,’” he stated.
He also praised the Yoruba people for their sophistication and educational advancement.
“Yoruba are so sophisticated and highly educated that you can only toy with them at your own peril. My Ijesa-born Yoruba wife is more than a wife to me — she is my jewel of inestimable value,” he added.