Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected reports suggesting he intends to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favor of another aspirant.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Atiku stated that he would only step aside if defeated by a younger contender in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary. “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,” he said.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday, his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, described subsequent reports as a distortion of Atiku’s remarks. According to Ibe, a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview showed that Atiku never said, suggested, or implied that he planned to step down for anyone.
The statement read in part:
“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.
“What Atiku Abubakar clearly said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter the contest. He stressed that if a young candidate were to emerge through a competitive primary, he would readily support such a candidate.”
Ibe added that while interpretative journalism is legitimate, stretching interpretation “to the point of mischief” was unacceptable.
He concluded that the insinuations attributed to Atiku from his BBC Hausa interview were inaccurate and did not reflect his actual words.
Source:Africa Publicity
