2027 will be my last presidential run, says Atiku

Responding to a question on whether turning 80 by 2027 would make the stakes higher for him, Atiku said it would likely be his last outing.

“Certainly yes, because the stakes are higher, and I believe that will be my last outing,” he said.

Atiku has made multiple attempts to become Nigeria’s president since returning to partisan politics in 2003.

He has run for the number one office six times, but has been on the ballot as a presidential candidate on three occasions — 2007, 2019, and 2023.

He first contested the presidency in 1993 under the Social Democratic Party primaries before stepping down for the late Moshood Abiola.

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He later ran in 2007 under the Action Congress, losing to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

He returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and contested the 2019 presidential election, where he lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2023, he again emerged as a PDP candidate but lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

The former vice president has consistently positioned himself as a long-time advocate of restructuring, economic liberalisation, and private sector-driven growth.

Abubakar said young Nigerians seeking power should learn the ropes from older leaders and gain experience first.

“I personally believe that they require experience and tutelage from the older generation,” he said.

In 2024, Abubakar said he would “keep contesting” for the presidency as long as he is hale and hearty.

“Of course, I will keep contesting again and again as long as I am alive and healthy,” Abubakar said.