Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied claims that he has agreed to withdraw his candidacy for any potential aspirant ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, sought to clarify what he called misrepresentations of an interview his principal granted to BBC Hausa Service.
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Ibe stated that a thorough review of the video and transcripts in both the original Hausa and the English translation showed that “at no point did Atiku expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone.”
According to the clarification, what Atiku, the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023—actually said was that young people and other prospective aspirants are free to join the contest.
“He further stressed that if a young candidate were to emerge through a competitive primary, he would readily support such a candidate without any hesitation,” Ibe added.
The spokesman condemned the stretching of journalistic interpretation “to the point of mischief,” noting that the insinuations regarding Atiku’s withdrawal are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said.
Atiku is preparing to run for the presidency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a new coalition opposition heavyweights have chosen as their political base to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In July, Atiku formally resigned his membership from the PDP, citing irreconcilable differences and claiming the party’s current direction had strayed from its core foundational principles.
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Atiku previously served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 on the PDP platform under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, losing to Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu, respectively.
