By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ADC presidential candidate has knocked Nigeria’s political elite, arguing that poor leadership is responsible for the country’s failure to unlock the potential of its youth.
The 2027 presidential hopeful made the remark on Saturday in Abuja during a leadership retreat organised by the RiseUpNaija Movement, where he inaugurated state coordinators tasked with mobilising millions of young voters ahead of the next general election.
“Nigeria lacks leadership worthy of your talent,” Atiku told the gathering, mostly made up of young professionals, students and activists from across the 36 states.
“That is the greatest tragedy before us. Not that Nigerian youths lack talent. But that Nigeria has lacked leadership worthy of your talent.”
The former vice president, who is seeking the presidency on the African Democratic Congress platform, told the audience that he was not driven by a desire for the trappings of power but by a conviction that Nigeria could still fulfil its promise.
“I am not seeking office for its privileges. I am seeking it because I believe Nigeria can still become the country we all know it is capable of becoming,” he said.
A generation on the edge
Speaking extemporaneously for much of his address, Atiku painted a sobering picture of young Nigerians trapped between ambition and systemic failure.
He acknowledged the daily struggles of graduates roaming the streets in search of non-existent jobs, entrepreneurs drained by the cost of diesel, and professionals increasingly looking abroad for opportunities.
“I see brilliant young people leaving Nigeria, not because they have stopped loving their country, but because they no longer believe their country loves them back,” he said.
The remark drew murmurs of agreement from the audience, many of whom belong to a generation that has witnessed the steady erosion of economic opportunities despite being among the most educated and digitally connected in Nigeria’s history.
But Atiku insisted that emigration and despair were not inevitable outcomes.
“This election is about whether your generation will finally inherit a country that rewards merit instead of connections, innovation instead of patronage, productivity instead of propaganda, and competence instead of mediocrity,” he declared.
The rice and votes warning
Atiku reserved some of his strongest words for the phenomenon of vote-buying, which has become a recurring feature of Nigerian elections.
He warned young Nigerians not to trade their futures for temporary material gain.
“Your vote is far more valuable than any amount of money a politician can offer. Do not exchange four years of your future for one afternoon of inducement,” he cautioned.
He listed what he said would be lost when a vote is sold: better schools, hospitals, safer communities, reliable electricity, jobs and accountable governance.
“A bag of rice will disappear. A few thousand naira will be spent. A campaign T-shirt will eventually fade. But the consequences of electing incompetent leadership will remain with you long after the campaign has ended,” he said.
The former vice president also cautioned against being used as instruments of political violence.
“Every election season, some politicians suddenly discover that you are ‘leaders.’ They give you caps. They give you T-shirts. They give you a little money. They ask you to insult opponents, disrupt campaigns or intimidate voters.
“But immediately after the election, they disappear. Your phone stops ringing. The promises vanish. And you are left exactly where they found you.”
A movement, not a campaign
The retreat was not merely a campaign event. It marked a strategic push by the RiseUpNaija Movement to transform online activism into offline political muscle.
Convener Kashim Ibrahim-Imam set an ambitious target of mobilising 20 million voters for Atiku in 2027, directing state coordinators to establish structures down to the polling unit level.
“Our target is to have at least 100 members in every polling unit. With about 176,000 polling units across the country, that means at least 17.6 million registered members,” Imam said.
He announced a one-month competition among states, with a special prize for the state that records the highest membership drive. Adamawa state, Atiku’s home state, currently leads the pack.
Salihu Tanko Yakasai, chairman of the movement’s coordinating council, described the initiative as a response to growing disillusionment with democracy.
“We must restore citizens’ confidence in democracy,” Yakasai said.
He stressed that the movement’s support for Atiku was based on principle, not personality, and that the goal was to build an organisation active in every state, local government, ward and polling unit across Nigeria.
From hashtags to polling units
Atiku challenged the young attendees to move beyond social media activism and engage with the political process at the grassroots level.
“Young Nigerians have demonstrated extraordinary creativity in the digital space. You influence conversations. You shape opinions. You hold governments accountable. You have shown the world that Nigerian youths can organise, innovate and inspire,” he acknowledged.
“But while social media can awaken a nation, it cannot by itself elect a government. Hashtags do not count votes. Livestreams do not secure polling units. Tweets do not defend democracy. Only citizens do.”
He laid out three strategic mandates: register to vote, reject ethnic and religious division, and become builders of a new Nigeria.
“Our shared challenges must produce a shared purpose,” he said, urging young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be divided by tribal and religious sentiments manipulated by the political class.
“The Nigeria we seek will never be built on ethnic suspicion or religious division. It will be built by citizens who understand that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.”
The fire still burns
Despite his age and decades in public life, Atiku insisted that the activist fire of his youth remained undimmed.
“I have spent the better part of my life fighting for democracy, justice and the progress of our beloved country. Time has given me experience, but it has not diminished my conviction,” he said.
He recalled his days as a student activist, organising without social media, mobilising without mobile phones, and sometimes running from the police.
“We organised. We debated. We mobilised. We marched. And sometimes, we ran from the police.”
That generation, he noted, paid a heavy price. Some lost their freedom. Others lost their livelihoods. Some paid the ultimate price with their lives.
“By the grace of God, some of us survived to witness the return of democratic rule in 1999. I was privileged to serve as Vice President at that defining moment in our nation’s history.
“Together with millions of Nigerians, we helped lay the foundation for the democratic Nigeria we all cherish today.
“But restoring democracy was only the beginning. Democracy must create opportunities. It must protect lives. It must reward enterprise. It must give every young Nigerian confidence that hard work, not connections, will determine success.”
The baton passes
Atiku concluded with an emotional appeal, telling the young audience that his generation had carried the baton long enough.
“My generation has carried the baton this far. Today, with confidence and hope, I place that baton in your hands.
“Carry it with courage. Carry it with discipline. Carry it with integrity. Carry it with patriotism.
“Build a Nigeria where talent triumphs over tribe. Where competence triumphs over connections. Where justice triumphs over injustice. Where hope triumphs over despair.”
He challenged them to answer history’s call.
“Years from now, your children will ask where you stood when Nigeria stood at the crossroads. They will ask whether you accepted hopelessness as your destiny. Whether you watched from the sidelines while others decided your future.
“Or whether you stood up peacefully, organised responsibly, voted courageously, and helped change the course of your nation.”
The former vice president ended with a declaration that the future was not something to inherit but something to build.
“Let history record that when Nigeria called, your generation answered. Let history remember that when democracy was tested, your generation defended it. Let history remember that when hope seemed to fade, your generation restored it.”
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