Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if a younger aspirant defeats him to win the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket.
Atiku made this known in an interview with BBC Hausa published on Wednesday. He added that he would support and mentor any young candidate who wins through the primaries.
“If I run for office, and a young man defeats me, I will accept that. The party we have joined now prioritises youth and women,” Atiku said.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, however, said he has not decided whether he will contest the presidency again.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following,” he explained.
Atiku dismissed claims that he could abandon the ADC in the future.
“No, I’m not known for that. If I say so, then I’ll go that way,” he said, adding that he is “a man of one Qibla.”
Related Stories:
- APC, ADC Clash Over Tinubu’s Economic Reforms
- Atiku Denies Stepping Down Plan Ahead of 2027 Election
Speaking on why he left the PDP, Atiku alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had planted moles within the party.
“Besides, that is one of the reasons we set up ADC, which I am a member of,” he said.
He also accused the APC-led government of weakening the opposition.
“The APC government in power has decided to use some party leaders to frustrate efforts of having a strong opposition that could challenge the government,” Atiku claimed.
“As the day went by, the crises in PDP were growing, and the hope of resolving it was speedily vanishing because the government was allegedly using some senior members of the party to destabilise the party further, and we could see that in their actions and utterances,” he added.
Atiku said he could not take decisive steps to address the PDP crisis because party leaders ignored his advice.
“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 those positions have different interests that are primarily personal to them,” he said.
On the ADC’s preparations for 2027, Atiku explained that the party had concluded its national structure and was now focusing on state and local government levels.
“Regarding the ADC, our goal is to establish the party structures at the state level. We have already established the national leadership, and they are working on ensuring the state and local government structures are strengthened and ready for the 2027 elections,” he stated.