Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has stated that the 2027 presidential election could be his final effort to become Nigeria’s leader, given his age and the enormous stakes involved.
Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential contender for the 2023 election, made the remark during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday evening.
Responding to a query on whether being 80 by 2027 would raise the stakes for him, Atiku stated that it would most likely be his final appearance.
“Certainly yes, because the stakes are higher and I believe that will be my last outing,” he said.
Since returning to partisan politics in 2003, Atiku has attempted to become Nigeria’s president several times.
He first ran for president in 1993 through the Social Democratic Party primaries before standing down in favor of the late Moshood Abiola.
In 2007, he ran for the Action Congress but lost to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Atiku also ran for president in 2011 as part of the Action Congress of Nigeria but lost to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and ran in the 2019 presidential election but lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He ran for the PDP again in 2023 but was defeated by All Progressives Congress President Bola Tinubu.
The former vice president has long been a champion for restructuring, economic liberalization, and private-sector-driven growth.
With the 2027 election cycle already creating early political alignments, Atiku’s recent statement fuels conjecture about the next phase of Nigeria’s presidential fight.
