Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed that he would step aside from the 2027 presidential race if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) produces a younger, energetic, and widely acceptable candidate.
Atiku made this known in an interview with the BBC Hausa service on Wednesday during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day celebration, stressing that his ambition should not deter youths from contesting.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential flagbearer in the 2023 general elections said he has consistently encouraged young Nigerians to join the race to rescue the nation. He assured them of his full backing and mentorship to achieve success.
Dismissing claims of desperation to become president, Atiku said his focus is on rescuing Nigeria from those he described as holding the country hostage.
“If the ADC can present a young, vibrant, and acceptable candidate for the 2027 election, I am willing to step down for such an individual,” Atiku stated.
Expanding on his position, he said:
“Besides, that is one of the reasons we set up ADC, which I am a member. We couldn’t achieve that with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because the APC government in power has decided to use some leaders of the party to frustrate the efforts of having a strong opposition that could challenge the government.
“As the day went by, the crises in PDP were growing, and the hope to resolve it was speedily vanishing because some senior members of the party were allegedly being used by the government to further destabilize the party, and we could see that in their actions and utterances.
“I could have taken some firm decisions to fix the party if I were the Chairman or Secretary of the party, or someone who listened to me was the Chairman or Secretary. Sadly, the people occupying that positions have different interests that are mostly personal to them.
“Regarding the ADC, our goal is to establish the structures of the party at the state level. We have already established the national leadership of the party, and they are working on ensuring the state and local government structures are strengthened and ready for the 2027 elections,” he said.
