2027: Atiku refutes reports of stepping down for younger aspirant
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied reports suggesting that he intends to drop his presidential ambition in favour of another aspirant.
The reports had claimed Atiku told the BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday that he was ready to step aside for a younger, more vibrant, and widely accepted candidate under the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress.
However, the ex-VP dismissed the claims, describing them as a misrepresentation of his interview.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku clarified that neither the video nor the transcript of the interview supported the claim that he plans to step down.
The statement reads: “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 any hesitation.
“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.”
