*Economist, Katch Ononiwu says Atiku can’t put up good fight against Tinubu
*That historically, he has not been lucky politician in attempts to occupy presidential seat
*Declares that those around former Vice President now are mostly “defeated politicians”
*Reveals his grouse is that PDP Govs told him party would zone presidency to South
By Our Special Correspondent
As politicians continue to jostle elective positions during the forthcoming general elections in 2027, a prominent politician and an economist, Dr. Katch Ononiwu, the Director General, Heritage Centre, Abuja took a hard look at those seeking to run for presidency and concluded that one of them, former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubkar is not in a position to win the contest.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Pilot, Ononiwu said that there are many odds against Atiku especially that historically; he has not been a lucky politician having contested under the platform of different political parties without success.
Another odd against Atiku according to Ononiwu is that most of the politicians who presently surround Atiku are “defeated politicians” who cannot add any value to his ambition saying “If you look at the real picture, I don’t think he would go far.”
“I don’t see Atiku doing anything tangible, because he cannot put up a proper fight against the incumbent President, Bola Tinubu, Atiku doesn’t have what it takes. Historically he is a very unlucky politician considering his previous ambition to become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Atiku is a Fulani man, and the biggest single problem in Nigeria today is the alleged Fulani war across the country. So, you are not going to see anybody from the Middle Belt being part of the areas the Fulani are ravaging ever agree to vote for a Fulani politician not while the Fulani war across Africa that has now birthed Nigeria. Because of the war, many people are now living in Internally Displaced People, IDP camps and a lot of them are losing their lives.
“Farmers are not able to go to the bushes; Atiku would not get any support in the Middle belt like the Benue Valley, all the places where the Fulani are killing like Plateau State and Kaduna State. The Fulani war in the states like Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto, I don’t see the Hausas voting for a man who cannot protect them.
“Atiku has not made any responsible condemnation of the alleged Fulani killings. Of course he is alleged to be a patron of the Miyetti Allah, and that makes him not to be a serious problem going to the election.
“The Middle Belt is not with him and you know what that means. Those who think they have problems with Tinubu should calculate properly because he is having the powers of incumbency. For you to be able to challenge Tinubu, you need a change, not a regular political arrangement, and if you see a lot of people who are with Atiku right now going to ADC, they are mostly defeated politicians who are very unpopular in the south.
“Southeast, the South South; that is a base currently locked for the obedient movement. The PDP has lost a lot of tremendous support in the south. In Delta he has lost Okowa where including the Governor have decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“He doesn’t have that imaginative followership like you have in Mr. Peter Obi in these areas where people are not very happy right now. If you are looking at the election, I will like you to look towards Mr. Peter Obi and President Tinubu being the two main contestants going into the election. I don’t think Atiku is part of it.
“This acrobatic you see him playing is just to pre-empt the PDP Governors who have told him they would zone the presidency to the south. He doesn’t have what it takes”, he added.
