By Abiola Olawale
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has disclosed that he will only step down from the 2027 presidential race if a young aspirant defeats him to clinch the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket.
Speaking during an interview session with BBC Hausa, Atiku revealed that he would not only drop his presidential ambition but also support the young aspirant should such a scenario arise.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following,” Abubakar said when asked if he would contest.
“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.”
The New Diplomat reports that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers, have both shown interest in the ADC presidential tickets. Both Obi and Amaechi are younger than Atiku.
Speaking further during the interview, Atiku revealed that he decided to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the internal crisis within the party.
According to him, the PDP has been allegedly infiltrated by moles from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He continued: “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.
“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.
“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.”
