A member of the House of Representatives from Adamawa State, Muhammed Basil, has advised former vice president Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from partisan politics.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Basil, who represents Jada/Ganye/Toungo/Mayo-Belwa Federal Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, stated that Atiku should step aside and assume the role of an elder statesman.
He asserted that it was time to allow the younger generation to take the lead.
Basil described the former vice-president as a powerful and respected politician, adding that his experience would be better utilised as a national adviser rather than an active partisan figure.
“Whatever one does in life, there comes a time to step aside and give way to younger people, especially when age is no longer on your side,” he said.
“When you look back and discover that many of those you once played politics with have left the scene, it is more honourable to take a bow and become a political compass for younger politicians. Atiku’s seat as an elder statesman is waiting for him at the national level,” he added.
Basil noted that Atiku had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s development, stressing that stepping out of active politics at the peak of public acclaim would preserve his legacy.
“There is diminishing return in everything. Age moves faster, and when people around you begin to move to other camps, these are signs that you have reached a boiling point in life,” he said.
On the chances of the PDP in Adamawa State ahead of the 2027 general elections, Basil said the party remained dominant and had no serious rival in the state.
“Politics is not practised on the pages of newspapers or only in the media. Some people talk from morning till night, but on election day you will not find them in their constituencies because they are not on ground,” he said.