Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied reports that he plans to step aside for another presidential hopeful before the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Thursday, his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said the reports were a wrong interpretation of Atiku’s recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
“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.
Ibe stressed that what Atiku actually said was that young people and other aspirants are free to join the race, and if a younger candidate wins through a fair primary, he would give support.
“What Atiku Abubakar clearly and unambiguously said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter 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,” he said.
The aide condemned what he described as “mischief” by those twisting the former Vice President’s comments.
“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,” Ibe added.
Atiku had told BBC Hausa earlier that if he runs in 2027 and a young aspirant defeats him, he would accept the outcome and support the candidate.
“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,” Atiku was quoted as saying.
