Atiku Abubakar’s Eye on the Ball at 74

Atiku Abubakar’s Eye on the Ball at 74

There s a running joke in some nooks and crannies that if it takes seven times seven years to get there, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar will never stop trying to reach the end of his ambition. At 74, the well-rounded man is not the youngest Presidential aspirant around, and definitely not the oldest. There is no other option for this political Olympian than to be President of the Republic of Nigeria.

Presidnet Muhammadu Buhari is popular among historians for his persistence to climb into the presidential seat. Of course, the seat has changed dimensions since the early ’80s when he was a military head of state. However, compared to former VP Atiku Abubakar, Buhari is still a giggling baby in a cradle.

Abubakar clocked 74 on November 25, 2020. While celebrating the event at his Dubai apartment, the man’s noble and aristocratic presence was essentially leaking out his presidential ambition—which, for those counting, is the sixth episode since 1993!

Most people know Atiku Abubakar from his being the vice president to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, between 1999 and 2007. However, the Turaki of Adamawa took his first shot at the apex position in 1993 under the aegis of the Social Democratic Party but lost. Then he tried again in 1998 but lost against General Sani Abacha. Then 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. A trial in 2023 will make it a full cycle of seven presidential attempts—talk about focus and determination!

Considering the number of votes, he was able to rake in during the 2019 general election, the next attempt might just be the best one yet. Regardless, his vocal presence of every single issue, good or bad, has made Atiku Abubakar a familiar presence on social media spaces. So, what if he is 74 years old, and a veteran of every regime since the Third Republic? Maybe the seventh time is the charm.

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