My being in race for 2027 doesn’t stop younger contesters for ADC presidential ticket – Atiku
By KEMI KASUMU
“If I run for office, and a young man defeats me, I will accept that.”
The dream of some concerned Nigerians to have one of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Gregory Obi as possible candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), for the much anticipated 2027 presidential election in Nigeria becomes more realisable on Wednesday October 1, 2025 with a clear cut statement on the contest by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku had said that he was open to stepping aside for a younger aspirant, if he loses the presidential primary of the opposition coalition’s ADC ahead of the general elections.
He cleared the air on the matter saying that his being in the race does not stop younger contesters to try their best against him.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate in the 2023 election, also said that it was too early to confirm whether he would contest but stressed that uniting the opposition under the ADC was his current priority.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following.
“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,” said the top politician.
He dismissed speculations that he might “double-deal” between the ADC and PDP, insisting that, “No, I’m not known for that. If I say I am going one way, I will go that way.”
The 78-year-old in July resigned from the PDP citing irreconcilable differences and a shift in the party’s direction away from its founding principles.
In a letter dated July 14, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of PDP Jada 1 Ward in Adamawa State, Atiku formally terminated his membership of the party with immediate effect.
“I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for,” he added.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged,” the letter read in part.
