Atiku Abubakar’s strong desire for a large family have been taken in good faith by his wives for many years. But his entanglement with a new wife of Moroccan origin appears to have dropped a bombshell for his favorite spouse, Barr. Jennifer.
Atiku Abubakar and 3rd Wife, Jennifer
According to the Republican News, Mrs. Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar only recently relocated to London from their family homes in Abuja and Dubai, she has mulled her husband’s action and its consequences since Mr. Abubakar first introduced his new wife to the family in 2017, sources said. He married the Moroccan that year and in 2018 they welcomed their first son together.
The relationship has been kept a secret from the public even as Mr. Abubakar sought presidency as the major contender against President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
“He saw the relationship as a personal matter,” a family source told the Gazette over the weekend. “But it is understandable why the public would be interested in what is going on even in the most intimate corners of his household.”
Mr. Abubakar, 74, has for decades been vocal about his quest to manage the affairs of Nigeria’s governance systems. He first sought presidency in early and mid-1990s before being tapped as vice-president by Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, leaving office in 2007 after two terms.
“Many people have become too used to his suave appearance that they often forget that he is a devout Muslim,” a family source said under anonymity to comment on Mr. Abubakar’s personal concerns.
“His faith allows him to take four wives or even more and we all know he has the financial and intellectual ability to elevate all his wives and children.”
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Gistflash gathered that Mr. Abubakar’s other wives have been more accepting of the Moroccan new wife than Mrs. Douglas-Abubakar, whom sources said was considered to be the worst hit by the development.
“She saw it as a let down because of the special level of care she had been receiving from the former vice-president,” a family source said. “She just felt the Moroccan woman had arrived to take her place.”
Our sources said Mrs. Douglas-Abubakar was expected to get over the matter since the Moroccan wife has been at home for three years and their new son has already clocked two.
A seasoned attorney of Igbo extraction, Mrs. Jennifer Abubakar has long been renowned for her critical roles in her husband’s political and vast business interests.
It was widely believed that her devotion to her husband’s success informed her alleged involvement in suspicious movement of funds on his behalf, which culminated in her indictment by the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs a decade ago.
The Anambra-born lawyer has since denied the scandalous allegations, dismissing them as a fruitless expedition of her husband’s political detractors.
However, the fallout from Mr. Abubakar’s marriage to a fourth wife may not necessarily constitute a stumbling block for his political fortunes in 2023, said political analyst Shola Olubanjo.
“For those of us who know Atiku Abubakar’s journey with Jennifer Douglas, it is difficult to say that the former vice-president should not take her reservations, whatever their nature, seriously,” Mr. Olubanjo said.
“Now that 2023 is gradually taking the front burner, he has to move fast.’ Nonetheless, Mr. Olubanjo expressed confidence in Mr. Abubakar’s ability to resolve the issues before campaign season to avoid being bogged down by personal challenges.
“He’s a shrewd politician and businessman,” the analyst said. “We shouldn’t expect anything less from him with respect to his household.” (Peoples Gazette)
