Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied reports claiming that he promised to step down for a younger candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku said his comments in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service were misrepresented by some sections of the media.
“It has become necessary to clarify certain misrepresentations arising from the reportage of an interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to the BBC Hausa Service,” Ibe stated.
“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 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 hesitation.”
Ibe cautioned against twisting Atiku’s remarks, adding: “While interpretative journalism is a legitimate aspect of reporting, stretching interpretation to the point of mischief is unacceptable and must not be encouraged.”
He maintained that insinuations attributed to the Waziri Adamawa from the BBC Hausa interview were inaccurate and did not reflect his actual words.
Atiku, who is expected to seek the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) – now adopted by several opposition politicians as a platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) – has contested the presidency three times.
Reports earlier on Thursday suggested that Atiku had said he would be willing to concede defeat if a younger aspirant emerged victorious against him in the ADC primaries.
