*Tables Two Conditions
By our reporter
Former Vice President and prominent member of opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has promised to step down for a younger presidential aspirant ahead the 2027 general elections.
He, however,issued two conditions for that: such aspirant must be widely accepted and vibrant.
Abubakar,more popularly known as Atiku, disclosed these in an interview with BBC Hausa Service yesterday.
The station is widely listened to in the far North of Nigeria.
Atiku is among some political titans who have vowed to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, citing what they described as the latter’s incompetence in steering the nation’s affairs.
They point to persistent bloodletting/insecurity, food hunger gripping the majority ordinary Nigerians, near-collapse of healthcare which compelled the president to travel abroad for the vital service, prostrate position of the Naira, high inflation, and others as signs that the Tinubu administration needs be replaced by an alternative that will deliver service for Nigerians’ benefit.
Other heavyweights in coalition with Atiku include Labour Party (LP)’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi; former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai; former governor of Osun State and former Tinubu close ally, Ogbeni (Engr.) Rauf Aregbesola; former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President, Senator David Mark; and several others.
There have been calls for Atiku, 78, to step down his 2027 ambition for Obi, 64, given that, by a persisting political gentleman’s agreement on power rotation, the nation’s political leadership will still reside in the South from 2027-2031, when it will revert to the North, where Atiku comes from.
Also, there are many who strongly believe that only Obi,among Southerners in ADC, has the necessary acceptance and muscle, to beat Tinubu, who is most likely to run for re-election in 2027, with politicians in this school of thought calling on Atiku to step aside for and instead support Obi.
However, in apparent reaction to this, Atiku said he is willing to abandon his presidential ambition for a younger, vibrant and acceptable candidate in ADC.
According to him, his 2027 interest was not a personal matter, reiterating that it was to provide a credible alternative to rescue Nigerians from alleged maladministration.
Atiku said: “My being in the 2027 race does not prevent anyone from contesting. If a vibrant and widely accepted younger candidate emerges, I am willing to step aside.”
He implored younger Nigerians to robustly take part in politics, promising to support them if any is picked to run for president.
On the perception that he was desperate to be president, having unsuccessfully run for the top seat for close to two decades now, Atiku dismissed such claim, insisting that all he cared about was to salvage the country from those holding her hostage.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Atiku.
