Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Abati faulted Atiku’s comment that the Yoruba should not fear his presidency because he is married to a woman from Ijesha, with whom he has children.

Abati described the statement as “unfortunate,” accusing Atiku of “tribalizing” politics. He argued that a politician of Atiku’s experience should focus on national issues rather than ethnic sentiments.

“To start with, that ethnic card should not work. It must not work. It is unacceptable to the extent that there are more serious issues on the basis of which Atiku can engage with Nigerians,” Abati said.

He stressed that Nigerians expect a presidential candidate to present solutions to pressing challenges such as oil theft, the operations of NNPC Limited, insurgency, terrorism, and controversies over state funds, rather than citing ethnic ties.

Abati added that Yoruba people have already produced presidents, including Olusegun Obasanjo and Bola Tinubu, and therefore do not require assurances of representation.

He said: “Now, let me start with what former Vice President purportedly said about what he intends to do if he’s lucky enough to become president in 2027. Namely, that Yoruba people do not need to have any fears that he will be, you know, more interested in Fulani interest, and that, after all, he has a wife who is from the Ijesha stock, who has four children with him, and these children, they call him “Babariri”, and all of that.

“Look, this again, is very unfortunate, because it’s about the tribalization, the ethnicization of Nigerian politics, and a man like Atiku Abubakar, who has been the Vice President in this country should know better than to play the ethnic card.

“To start with, that ethnic card should not work. It must not work. It is unacceptable to the extent that there are more serious issues on the basis of which Atiku can engage with Nigerians.

“One what Nigerians expect is not a president that will talk about where he comes from, where he married from. That’s not the interest. The interest should be what does he intend to do for Nigeria.

“There are many issues. One of the issues you have talked about this morning is oil theft. Does he have answers to that? Questions have been raised about NNPC limited. Does he have any concrete ideas about what he wants to do in that regard? In the front page of the papers today, there is a report that, you know, the Osun state government is protesting that there is an attempt to by the Ministry of Finance to seek the president’s approval to pay money belonging to the people of Osun state, that have been held, contrary to the rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, to pay to politicians, APC politicians. Does he have an idea about that?

“So there are more, you know, important things: insurgency, terrorism that you Waziri Adamawa can talk about. But to say, my wife is from Yoruba land, and my son speaks Yoruba, nobody is interested in that.

“In any case, he says he will defend Yoruba interest. Yorubas have had President Obasanjo, they’ve had President Tinubu. They are well represented in Nigerian politics at this time.”