Chief Dan Ulasi, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has shared insights into a pivotal conversation he had with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election. Speaking during an interview on AIT, Ulasi—who served as the Southeast Director for Atiku’s presidential campaign—pointed to key strategic misjudgments that, in his view, contributed to the PDP’s defeat.
Ulasi disclosed that he had cautioned Atiku and other top campaign figures against underestimating the political capabilities of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate at the time. He stressed that Tinubu’s extensive political experience and strong grassroots network made him a formidable opponent.
“In 2023, while we were gearing up for the presidential election, I served as the campaign director for Atiku in the Southeast,” Ulasi recalled. “During emergency meetings, I warned them—this man is not someone to take lightly. I said people should sleep with both eyes open. But Atiku brushed it off, saying he would remove him. Now look—he’s the president of Nigeria.”
Ulasi’s remarks underline internal miscalculations within the PDP camp and highlight how overlooking Tinubu’s political acumen may have shaped the outcome of the 2023 election.
