Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured the Yoruba that their interests will “occupy a topmost place” in his policies if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, who is preparing to challenge President Bola Tinubu, dismissed what he described as unfounded fears that his presidency could result in Hausa/Fulani domination over the Yoruba or any other ethnic group.
“The entire Yoruba stock is my larger extended family and in-laws,” he said in a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Kola Johnson.
The Adamawa-born politician leaned heavily on his family ties, recalling that his first wife, Titi, an Ijesha woman from Osun State, has been with him since the 1970s.
“We have four Yoruba children together. She is now over 75 years old, and we are still together. Sometimes they call me ‘Baba Rere’ good father,” Atiku revealed.
Atiku described the Yoruba as “one of the finest species of the human race,” noting that his marital union permanently bonded him to the region.
“I count myself extremely lucky to have had a wife from among this noble (Yoruba) people. By that token, the bond uniting me with the Yoruba is like the genetic bond of a family. That is why the Yoruba, individually and collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart,” he said.
He described Titi as his “jewel of inestimable value,” stressing that Yorubas rank among his most intimate friends and associates in both private and public life.
Atiku praised the Yoruba for their education, sophistication, and resilience. “Yorubas are so sophisticated and highly educated that you can only toy with them at your own peril,” he declared.
The former Vice President insisted his political philosophy has always been detribalised.
“Anyone who knows me will tell you sincerely that I am a highly detribalised person. Even before politics, I flowed easily and effortlessly with people of diverse tribes, ethnicities, and religions. When I joined politics, I was essentially a politician without borders, in terms of my outlook. Call it a statesman, if you will,” he added.
On the 2027 elections, Atiku emphasised that Yoruba interests would remain central in his governance.
“The fear that my ascension to the presidency might lead to Hausa/Fulani domination over the Yoruba or any other ethnic group does not only arise, but is also absolutely unfounded, because the entire Yoruba stock are my larger extended family and in-laws,” he said.
He concluded: “I see the Yoruba regional landscape not only as my home, but also as an extension of my family. Frankly speaking, my marriage to a Yoruba wife has gone a long way in endearing the Yoruba people to me. That is why I say again without hesitation Yorubas are my in-laws.”
