I Don’t Know If I Will Run For Presidency in 2027 – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he is unsure whether he will contest the presidency in 2027. 

Atiku made the statement during an interview for a television program, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie. The interview is set to be aired today.

Recently, Atiku announced a coalition of opposition leaders to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. However, there has been widespread speculation over who will lead the alliance, with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai among the key figures. 

When asked if he would run in 2027, Atiku responded, “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.” 

He added, “I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time. 

“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said. 

He also agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim that Nigeria’s democracy is weakening, calling the situation “very dire.” 

“No doubt about that,” he added. 

Atiku expressed disappointment with the country’s leadership, particularly among younger politicians. 

“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”

Atiku, who ran for president under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, has contested a record six times.