Bitter Atiku building a coalition of desperate political orphans - Northern youths

A group of Northern youths under the auspices of the Arewa Youth Council (AYC) has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his persistent attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The group described Atiku's posture as bitter, hypocritical, and marked by desperation, following decades of failed presidential bids.

In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, April 17, 2025, AYC's President, Comrade Adams Reuben, said the former Vice President's criticism of Tinubu is both laughable and shameful.

He questioned how the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential flag-bearer, who "presided over the reckless sale of Nigeria’s national assets to cronies during his time as head of the National Council on Privatisation," now positions himself as a reformer and moral compass.

“Atiku might be suffering from senility or early-stage brain fatigue triggered by his serial rejections at the polls,” Reuben said.

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“How does a man so deeply involved in the systemic weakening of Nigeria’s economic backbone now question a leader who is working tirelessly to repair the damage?

“He supervised the transfer of Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), and other prized national assets to associates under the guise of reforms that left millions of Nigerians worse off. That’s the legacy he’s running from, and he thinks we’ll forget by screaming ‘coalition’ and throwing jabs at Tinubu.”

Arewa youths dismiss Atiku's coalition

Reacting to Atiku's move to build a coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, the council dismissed the effort as another “failed train heading nowhere.”

“Nigerians have seen through that smokescreen. This so-called coalition is nothing but a gathering of political orphans, desperate to regain relevance. It is a failed train heading to nowhere — and Atiku is not only the conductor, he’s the last passenger too,” Reuben declared.

The Northern youths stressed that while Atiku has been perpetually chasing the presidency, Tinubu got it right on his first attempt because Nigerians trusted in his leadership.

Reuben called on Atiku to step back from public discourse and stop distracting the current administration from delivering on the promises made to Nigerians.

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“This is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first time on the presidential ballot — and he won because Nigerians believe in his vision, his intellect, and his ability to take tough decisions. Atiku has contested six times, lost each time, and still thinks we owe him the presidency?,” the group queried.

“He has failed. Nigerians have moved on. It’s time Atiku does the same. His bitterness will not change the fact that the country is finally in the hands of a thinker, a builder, and a leader.”

The AYC concluded by warning that it would continue to speak against “those who sow division, incite bitterness, and attempt to whitewash their tainted legacies in the name of political opposition.”