Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, has maintained that his principal has been a wealthy person before holding public office.

He recalled that Atiku personally purchased the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, known as the Wadata Plaza, for the party.

According to Daily Trust, Ibe made the claim while addressing the speculations surrounding the wealth of the former vice president.

The former vice president’s aide maintained that there is nothing wrong about being wealthy and that Atiku’s money was legitimate.

Ibe also noted the reason why the former vice president had yet to announce his interest in the 2027 presidential race, explaining that the current focus of Atiku was to strengthen his political base within the newly adopted African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.

He said that the former vice president will not fall for the bait, adding that the current effort is to put the political structure in place so that when the tsunami begins, the ADC will be ready to carry everyone along for alignment and realignment.

The media aide clarified that the recent interview of the former vice president on the BBC Hausa was misrepresented, explaining that Atiku did not say that he would be stepping aside for any younger aspirant in the ADC.

Atiku started leading the call for the opposition leaders to come together and contest under one umbrella against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election. His call led to the formation of the coalition movement, which eventually adopted the ADC.

The coalition, which included the leaders of opposition parties, including Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rotimi Amaechi, a 2023 presidential aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), but lost to President Tinubu.

However, Atiku appeared to be at the forefront of the party, which increased the chances of him winning its presidential ticket. The recent calls on former President Goodluck Jonathan to join the race have changed the direction of the game for the ADC.

Obi, on the other hand, appeared to be stepping back on moving on with the coalition, as his supporters are asking the party to zone its presidential ticket to the south before their subject could fully join the party.

Source: Legit.ng