The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar needs mental health support, alleging that his criticisms of President Bola Tinubu are driven by bitterness over his failure to become president.
Keyamo, in a statement, described Atiku as politically frustrated and claimed that Tinubu’s emergence as president had been difficult for the former vice-president to accept.
He characterised Atiku’s recent attacks on the President as signs of what he called “agitated depression,” arguing that the former presidential candidate’s political ambition had fuelled his frustration.
“It is now very obvious that Atiku Abubakar is a pained and very bitter fellow. The pain and bitterness stems from the fact that he feels President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally outsmarted him politically to get the most coveted position of President and he can’t mentally deal with this fact,” Keyamo said.
The minister recalled that Tinubu served as Lagos State governor while Atiku was vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, arguing that Atiku was once considered ahead of Tinubu in the political hierarchy of presidential aspirants.
According to Keyamo, both politicians pursued the presidency after leaving their respective offices in 2007, sometimes aligning politically and at other times working separately.
He argued that Tinubu secured the presidency on his first attempt, while Atiku had pursued the ambition for decades, dating back to 1993.
“However, through a combination of fate, luck, divine interventions and political dexterity, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally clinched the Presidency at the first try as against his never-ending ambition since 1993,” he said.
Keyamo cited Ecclesiastes 9:11 to argue that political success was not determined solely by human ambition, but also by time and chance.
He added that Atiku’s associates should support him rather than encourage what he described as political frustration.
“We should all pity Atiku Abubakar rather than goad him on,” the minister said.
Keyamo also claimed that Atiku’s recent political posture could weaken his support base instead of attracting new followers.
He concluded by predicting that the former vice-president was nearing the end of his political relevance, insisting that he urgently needed support at what he described as a critical stage in his career.
“Atiku Abubakar urgently needs mental health support at this critical time as he finally peters out into political oblivion,” Keyamo said.
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