Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that he plans to bow out of the 2027 presidential race in favour of another aspirant.
In a statement released on Thursday, October 2, his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, described the reports as a distortion of Atiku’s recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
He said a review of the video and transcript of the interview confirmed that Atiku neither said nor implied that he would withdraw for anyone.
“After a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview – in the original Hausa and the English translation – it is evident that at no point did the former Vice President expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone,” the statement read.
According to Ibe, Atiku’s position was clear: young people and other interested aspirants are free to enter the race, and if through a competitive primary a younger candidate emerged, he would not hesitate to support such a person.
READ ALSO: Beating Atiku in ADC Primaries Nearly Impossible — Shehu Sani
The statement added, “While interpretative journalism is a legitimate aspect of reporting, stretching interpretation to the point of mischief is unacceptable and must not be encouraged.
“For the record, therefore, the insinuations attributed to Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said.”
Earlier reports had quoted Atiku as saying he would step down if a younger aspirant defeated him in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) primary election. During the interview, Atiku had said,
“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.”
While that remark sparked speculation that Atiku was preparing to step aside, his camp insists his message was about encouraging youth participation, not announcing his withdrawal.