Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if a younger candidate defeats him in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) primary.
In an interview with BBC Hausa published on Wednesday, Atiku stated that he would fully support and mentor such a candidate, emphasizing the party’s commitment to youth and women inclusion.
Asked if he intends to run for president again, Atiku said it was too early to make that decision.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to build the party and establish a strong base,” he said. “If I do run, and a young man defeats me, I will accept that outcome. The party we’ve joined now places emphasis on the youth and women.”
He also dismissed speculations that he might leave the ADC in the future, saying he is not known for political inconsistency.
“No, I’m not known for that,” he said, shaking his head. “If I say I’m going in a direction, I stay on that path,” he added, gesturing that he is “a man of one Qibla.”
On his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of infiltrating and destabilising the opposition.
“One of the reasons we formed ADC is because the APC planted moles within the PDP,” he claimed.
According to him, the APC-led government has been actively working to divide opposition parties by manipulating some of their leaders.
“The APC government decided to use certain party figures to frustrate the formation of a strong opposition. Over time, PDP’s internal crises worsened, and any hope of resolution kept fading — largely because of those allegedly working for the government within the party,” he said.
Atiku lamented that he had limited influence to intervene in the PDP crisis because the party leadership sidelined his input.
“If I were the chairman or secretary of the party, or even if someone in those roles had listened to me, I could have made strong decisions to fix things. Unfortunately, those in charge had personal interests that overrode party unity,” he said.
On the ADC’s preparedness for the 2027 elections, Atiku said the party had concluded its national structure and was now focused on establishing state and local chapters.
“We’ve set up our national leadership, and we’re now working to strengthen our presence at the state and local government levels ahead of 2027,” he stated.
