A chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, and former National Assembly candidate, Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has called on President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step aside from the 2027 presidential race to allow younger leaders to emerge.
Ezeh, who made the call on Sunday while speaking with newsmen in Abuja, emphasised the need for a generational shift in Nigerian politics.
The former lawmaker urged both Tinubu and Atiku to act as statesmen and support younger candidates, adding that their continued involvement in elections could deepen regional divisions and threaten national unity.
“Both President Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku belong to the old generation of Nigerian politics. The time has come for these two old war horses to call it a day in electoral contests,” Ezeh said.
He recalled his earlier call for President Tinubu to prioritise conducting a credible and transparent 2027 general election instead of seeking re-election, noting that Tinubu’s rumoured interest in a second term is already heating up the political space, particularly with reports of him recruiting incumbent governors, particularly from the South.
Speaking on Atiku, Ezeh expressed concern that the former Vice President’s alleged ambition to contest under the African Democratic Congress, ADC, could damage the unity of the opposition.
“Atiku is busy creating the impression in the North that the coalition is all about his presidential ambition. Two years to the election, Nigeria is already divided along regional lines. This is not a good omen for our country,” he said.