…Says reports false
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party PDP, presidential candidate in 2023, has dismissed reports that he will step down for an unnamed candidate in the 2027 presidential election
Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the former Vice President in a statement on Thursday, debunked the report aired on the BBC Hausa Service.
It has become necessary to clarify certain misrepresentations arising from the reportage of an interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to the BBC Hausa Service by some sections of the media.
Ibe dismissed the report from the interview as ” inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said”.
Read also: 2027: South West rejects Atiku overtures, declares support for Hashim Group
According to Ibe, “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 noted that Atiku Abubakar 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 records, therefore, the insinuations attributed to the Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said.”
The former Vice President who is contesting the 2027 Presidential election under the platform of the African Democratic Congress ADC, is expected to face stiff opposition from Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, who also served as Transportation Minister, under the last administration
The party which is a coalition of several political bigwigs, may also feature other candidates like Peter Obi, even though Obi is yet to declare under which party he will be contesting the 2027 presidential election
Only recently, former President Goodluck Jonathan was seen at the house of David Mark, the ADC National Chairman, a visit many see as part of his pre- declaration consultation, as part of the preparations for the election.
Read also: CPC members split over 2027 race between Tinubu and Atiku
Speaking recently with BusinessDay, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, noted that the party was yet to determine which area it would zone the 2027 Presidential ticket to
He assured that the party will explore a consensus approach for the presidential candidate, but will resort to conduct of primary if the consensus approach fails
” We will explore the consensus approach, but if it fails, we will conduct primaries”
