Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said his primary concern is addressing the severe hunger and deprivation affecting Nigerians, not speculation about the 2027 presidential race.

This comes after Chief Bode George, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, advised Atiku to abandon his ambitions for 2027 and take a cue from President Joe Biden’s decision to make way for a younger candidate in the 2024 US elections.

In a statement released on Wednesday through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said that his focus is on the present and immediate future, rather than the distant 2027.

“We cannot afford to put the cart before the horse,” he said. “At this point, Atiku Abubakar’s preoccupation is not 2027. His concern is about 2024, 2025, and 2026, and beyond.”

Atiku made mention of the dire situation faced by Nigerians, who are struggling to survive due to the “failed” policies of the current administration.

“The average citizen, and indeed all Nigerians, need to survive the tsunami that has become the administration of President Bola Tinubu,” he said. “It is insensitive to be talking about 2027 now when the 2023 mandate has not yielded any tangible benefits for Nigerians, who are now far worse off in every facet of life.”

He also directed a message to Chief Bode George, to focus on counselling President Tinubu to reassess his policies, which have deepened poverty and divisions in the country. “Bode George himself should also turn his attention to counselling Tinubu to reassess some of his ill-advised policies that have deepened poverty and divisions in our country, instead of prioritizing the politics of 2027.”