Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has refuted a news report making the rounds, claiming that he was considering stepping down for a younger aspirant in the race for the 2027 presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe made the clarification in a Thursday statement.
Earlier on Thursday, reports circulated that the 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told BBC Hausa Service that he would jettison his presidential ambition to support younger aspirants.
Ibe said Atiku was misquoted because a through review of the BBC Hausa Service report showed that “at no point did the former Vice President expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone.”
He said Atiku, only stated that he would support any younger aspirant that beat him to the 2027 ADC presidential ticket in a primary election.
The statement reads, “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”,.