The 2023 presidential candidate of the opposition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has remembered the late politician, Shehu YarAdua, twenty-seven years after his death.
In a post via his official X handle on Tuesday, the former vice president described the late politician as an ardent believer in democracy and the abiding principles of human rights and shared prosperity.
Shehu Yar’Adua (March 5, 1943 – December 8, 1997) was a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters under General Olusegun Obasanjo’s 1976 – 1979 military government.
Atiku said he remembered Yar’Adua for his heroic role in dismantling the walls of ethnic politics in Nigeria, which led him and his other followers to believe in the ideals of democracy and transparency in leadership.
He wrote: Today, and often, I remember my mentor and the man through whom I cut my teeth in politics, the Tafida, Shehu Yar’Adua, on his 81st post-humous birthday.
“I often reflect on what our society and democracy would seem like were he still be on this side of the divide.
“I know the Tafida to be an ardent believer in democracy and its abiding principles of human rights and shared prosperity. His passion for Nigeria and his commitment to our diversity is bar none.
“We can only honour the memory of his relentless efforts in cancelling the vistas of ethnic politics in Nigeria and for his heroic work in returning our country to a fledgling democracy. These are ideals that the Tafida shall be remembered for through generations.
“Happy posthumous birthday, Tafida. -AA”
