Former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said he will withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if a younger aspirant defeats him to clinch the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket.
He stated this in an interview with BBC Hausa published on Wednesday, where he also noted that he would support and mentor such a candidate.
Atiku has been contesting for the presidency of Nigeria since 1993. He has been doing that under various political parties in about six occasions and has also been winning party primary in nearly all of them.
Atiku, however, said he could not confirm whether he would contest the presidency again.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following,” Atiku said when asked if he would run.
“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,” he added.
When asked if there were suspicions that he could abandon the ADC later, Atiku dismissed such insinuations.
“No, I’m not known for that,” he said, shaking his head. “If I say so, then I’ll go that way,” he added, gesturing with his hand that he was “a man of one Qibla.”
We think here that stepping down is not contesting the presidential primary at all. If Atiku has to contest and be defeated, that does not amount to stepping down, it is a defeat at the poll.