- Safiu Kehinde
Former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has debunked reports and claims of his alleged readiness to step down from the 2027 Presidential race if a younger candidate defeats him in the primaries.
NPO Reported that the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential candidate had allegedly made this known while speaking in a BBC Interview published on Wednesday.
Reacting to the reports in a statement issued on Thursday Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, dismissed the claims, stressing that the ex-Vice President’s statement was misrepresented.
Ibe noted that at no point did Atiku expressed willingness to step down for anyone.
He explained that the ex-Vice President had rather encouraged young aspirants to enter the contest, promising that he will support such aspirant if defeated during the primaries.
Ibe further labelled the reports and claims as inaccurate, declaring them an unacceptable act of mischief.
The statement read; “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.
“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 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.”