Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that he is ready to step aside in 2027 if a younger aspirant defeats him in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Atiku explained that he would not only accept such an outcome but also mentor and support the young candidate who emerges.
“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.”
Already, some younger political heavyweights — including Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State — have shown interest in the ADC ticket.
Atiku, who resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July, accused the party of betraying its founding ideals and allowing infiltration by elements loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Besides, that is one of the reasons we set up ADC, which I am a member of,” he said.
He alleged that the PDP has been weakened deliberately.
“The PDP is divided because the APC government in power has decided to use some party leaders to frustrate efforts of having a strong opposition that could challenge the government,” Abubakar said.
“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.”
The former vice-president added that he lacked the authority to salvage the party.
“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.”
Speaking on the future of the ADC, Atiku noted that the focus is on strengthening the party’s structures nationwide.
“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,” he explained.
Atiku Abubakar, who is 78, was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election. He will be 81 by the time Nigeria goes to the polls in 2027. The veteran politician has sought the presidency six times and has contested as a candidate on three occasions — 2007, 2019, and 2023.
