A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Segun Sowunmi, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of being disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Nigerians, alleging that he suffers from what he called an “Emir complex”.
Sowunmi made the remarks during an interview with newsmen while discussing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 and criticism from opposition figures over the state of the country.
He questioned the ability of Atiku and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to speak for Nigerians battling poverty, citing their years in public office.
“The opposition that all of their lives, they have just been eating from both sides of their mouths like Rotimi Amaechi, who spent the last 24 years, minus the time that they asked him to go and sit down somewhere; he has been in government, and suddenly Rotimi is the epitome that’s going to tell you that there’s poverty in Nigeria?” he asked.
Sowunmi also pointed to Atiku’s tenure as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007.
“Up till today, Atiku was vice president 1999 to 2007, that’s when he stopped his vice presidency,” he said.
Explaining his description of Atiku’s lifestyle and public demeanour, Sowunmi said the former vice-president appeared accustomed to the privileges and deference associated with powerful figures.
“Up till today, have you seen vice president that goes around the way Atiku is going around with convoy, in terms of his panache, Atiku is suffering from what you call an Emir complex,” he said.
He explained the phrase by referring to the respect and formal greetings often given to traditional rulers and influential figures.
“You know what an Emir complex is? That big man that everybody will just come and say, ‘Dan labayi; ranka dede;’ or an oba complex,” he said.
Sowunmi further argued that Atiku lacked the capacity to understand the hardship faced by poor Nigerians.
“So he has no capacity to know or empathise with the poor. He is not a patron deity of the poor,” he said.
The APC campaign council member maintained that opposition criticism of Tinubu’s administration should be considered alongside the records of those making the allegations.
Tinubu is seeking re-election in 2027, with APC governors and some governors elected on other party platforms having declared support for his bid.
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