By Joy Yesufu
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports claiming he plans to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favour of another aspirant.
In a statement on Thursday, his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said such claims misrepresented Atiku’s recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
“After a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview – in Hausa and in English, it is clear that at no point did the former Vice President state, suggest, or imply that he intends to step down for anyone,” Ibe said.
According to him, Atiku only emphasised that young people and other aspirants are free to contest, stressing that if a younger candidate were to emerge victorious through a competitive primary, he would readily support such a person.
Ibe described the reports as a distortion of facts, warning against what he called “interpretative journalism stretched to the point of mischief.”
“For the record, the insinuations attributed to Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said,” Ibe maintained.
Earlier, some reports had suggested that Atiku said he would step aside if a younger aspirant defeated him in the primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The former Vice President, however, clarified that his remark was only to the effect that he would respect the outcome of a fair contest.
