2027 Presidency: Atiku expresses willingness to step down for younger candidate

2027 Presidency: Atiku expresses willingness to step down for younger candidate

After several years of persuasion to give space to young Nigerians to vie for the presidency, former Vice President and prominent figure within the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has expressed his readiness to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favour of a younger candidate.

In an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday, Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in 2023, emphasized that his political ambition is rooted in a commitment to providing Nigerians with a credible alternative, not personal desperation.

“My being in the 2027 race does not prevent anyone from contesting. If a vibrant and widely accepted younger candidate emerges, I am willing to step aside,” he stated.

Atiku encouraged young Nigerians to engage more actively in the political process, assuring that he would offer full support to any youthful candidate chosen to represent the ADC in the presidential election.

He also dismissed suggestions that he is desperate to become president, asserting that his primary motivation is “rescuing Nigeria from the people that have held it hostage.”