Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has announced that the 2027 presidential election will be his last attempt at winning Nigeria’s highest political office, bringing potential closure to a political career spanning over three decades of presidential campaigns.
The 80-year-old politician made the declaration during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time program on Wednesday, confirming what many political observers have long speculated about regarding his political future. Atiku, who has been seeking the presidency since 1992, stated definitively that regardless of the outcome in 2027, he will not contest for the position again, marking the end of an era in Nigerian politics.
The announcement represents a significant moment in Nigerian political history, as Atiku has been one of the most persistent and prominent presidential aspirants in the country’s democratic experience.
Since his first attempt to win his party’s nomination in 1992, Atiku has run for president or sought his party’s presidential ticket in virtually every election cycle, making him one of the most recognizable figures in Nigerian politics.
His campaigns have spanned multiple political parties including the Social Democratic Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Action Congress, and back to the PDP, demonstrating his enduring ambition to lead Africa’s most populous nation.
During the Arise Television interview, Atiku spoke candidly about his long pursuit of the presidency and his reasons for deciding that 2027 would mark his final campaign.
While the full details of his reasoning were not provided in the initial breaking news, the former Vice President acknowledged that after 35 years of seeking the highest office, it was time to set a definitive endpoint to his presidential ambitions.
The decision comes as Atiku faces increasing questions about his age and whether he should make way for younger politicians to lead the opposition’s challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
Atiku’s political journey has been marked by near-misses and controversial outcomes. He served as Vice President under Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, a tenure marked by increasingly public disagreements between the two men that eventually led to a complete breakdown in their relationship.
After leaving office, Atiku ran for president in 2007 but lost to the PDP’s candidate Umaru Yar’Adua after a controversial primary process. He ran again in 2011 and 2015, each time failing to secure his party’s nomination or losing in the general election.
His closest attempt came in 2019 when he was the PDP’s candidate against Muhammadu Buhari but lost by a significant margin that he contested unsuccessfully in court.
Most recently, Atiku was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, where he finished second behind winner Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC and ahead of Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
The 2023 campaign was particularly bitter, with Atiku challenging the results in court and alleging widespread irregularities in the electoral process. The Supreme Court ultimately dismissed his petition, confirming Tinubu’s victory. Despite the defeat, Atiku has remained politically active, positioning himself as a leading voice of opposition to the Tinubu administration’s policies, particularly on economic matters and governance issues.
“I have been contesting for the presidency since 1992. The 2027 election will be my last outing,” Atiku stated during the interview, according to reports from the program.
The simple declaration carries enormous implications for the opposition landscape in Nigeria, as Atiku has been widely expected to seek the PDP nomination again in 2027. His withdrawal after one final attempt opens up space for other aspirants within the party and forces a recalculation of political alignments as various factions prepare for the next election cycle….See More
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