Atiku Abubakar’s Final Presidential Bid: 2027 Race Marks Last Attempt

JAMES KWEN writes on the promise by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar not to contest for the office of the president again if he fails in the 2027 race.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has for the umpteenth time thrown his hat into the ring for the presidential election.

Atiku, who served as vice president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, is a serial presidential contender who sought the ticket and flew the flags of different political parties.

First, he vied for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential ticket in the 1992/1993 elections and came third behind late Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe, but later stepped down for Abiola in a run-off.

Atiku was the presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC) for the 2007 general election, but lost to late President Umaru Yar’adua of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having come third after the then General Muhammadu Buhari of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Still not deterred, the Adamawa-born politician, who had dumped AC for PDP, sought the ticket of the then-ruling party to contest the 2011 presidential election. Though he was the PDP’s most favoured candidate in the North, Atiku lost the party’s ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who won the election.

Again, in 2014, the then Wazirin Adamawa joined the race for the presidential ticket of the newly formed All Progressives Congress(APC) but was defeated by both Buhari and Rabiu Kwakwaso, a serving governor of Kano at the time.

Atiku emerged as the PDP presidential candidate ahead of the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, but was defeated by Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, respectively.

Now, as the race for the 2027 general election kicks off in earnest, the former Vice President and three-time presidential candidate again signified interest in the race to Aso Rock.

However, this time, Atiku declared that contesting the 2027 presidential election will be his final attempt at Nigeria’s highest office, saying the stakes were significantly higher as he prepared for what would be his eighth run.

He spoke on ARISE News on Wednesday, reflecting on his decades-long political journey and his longtime ambition to lead Nigeria.

When asked about his age and whether the 2027 race would be his final shot at the presidency or not, Atiku said: “Certainly yes. Because the stakes are higher, because I believe that will be my last outing. So that’s incontrovertible.”

The ADC chieftain defended his continued relevance in Nigeria’s political space, insisting that experience remains critical to leadership.

“I represent both the past and the future. We have seen various levels of leadership in the country, both young and old, and we’re experiencing them.

“I still believe that our expectations of the young leadership are below what we thought. They require experience, and they require tutelage from the older generation,” he said.

Atiku said his priority would be improving security, arguing that no economic or infrastructure plan can work without it.

He also promised to support a rotational presidency, saying, “If I am president, even if it is the only amendment I can make, I would move towards that.”

Atiku’s latest declaration has received backlash from both outside and even within his party.

The Presidency declared that Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential ambition is “dead on arrival,” following what it described as a poor showing during his recent television interview.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, in a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, said the outing exposed a lack of vision, coherence, and readiness for leadership at the highest level.

“Atiku Abubakar’s latest television outing didn’t cover him in glory; it was a disaster, an unravelling broadcast in real time,” Dare wrote.

Similarly, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, criticised the former Vice President over his recent comments on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement.

He noted that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to Goodluck Jonathan’s ascension to the presidency.

Onanuga asked Atiku to “bury the thought of running again” and respect the power rotation principle.

Also, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, described Atiku as a serial election contestant and loser who will likely run for office again in 2031.

“Atiku is a serial failure. He is a serial contestant and loser, and I am sure he will still contest in 2031. Nigerians would be laughing at such a person making that kind of statement that nothing positive has been done,” Wike said.

A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said the former Vice President is qualified to contest for president in 2027, but must also consider age and capacity.

Amaechi, who is also eyeing the presidential ticket of ADC, said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Friday that age is a factor that needs to be considered when nursing a presidential ambition.

“Although he is eminently qualified to be president of Nigeria, he has the right to contest. But he has to understand that there are other factors beyond where he comes from…,” he said.

Atiku, in his reply to the presidency through his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, on X, said, “Dear @aonanuga1956, let me tell you clearly: no presidential aide, no matter how loud or reckless, has the authority to rewrite the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or reduce democracy to a regional entitlement scheme…

“This tired attempt to bully @atiku out of the race reeks of fear, not principle. The same people who shredded zoning within their own party when it suited them now pretend to be its custodians. Hypocrisy has never worn such a cheap costume.”

To Wike, Shaibu described his remarks as not just flippant but a crude assault on the very principles of democracy he swore to uphold.

He told the FCT minister that to label Atiku a “serial loser” for repeatedly offering himself for election is the language of intolerance, not leadership.

“Democracy is not a one-shot affair where citizens are permitted to aspire only once. It is an open contest of ideas and vision—one that thrives on participation, not the silencing of opponents through cheap ridicule,” he said.

Beyond criticisms and reservations, some believe it is Atiku’s right to vie for the presidency again.

The Imo State Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, argued that the former Vice President has the constitutional right to contest for any position of his choice.

Nwachukwu, who made this submission while speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, said the constitution is clear and allows the citizenry to contest political positions.

“He will be exercising his rights and privileges as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” said, even as noted, the PDP has zoned the presidency to the South.

A former deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Kaka, said it is the fundamental right of Atiku to contest even beyond 100 years of age, as there is nothing wrong with him doing so.

“It is left for Nigerians to put him on a scale and assess his worthiness in all ramifications for the exalted position of being the president of Nigeria, with over 80 per cent of the population being between 25 and 40 years,” he said.

Also Read: Adamu Atiku Abubakar Resigns as Adamawa Works Commissioner Amid Fintiri’s APC Defection

Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Mark Adebayo, said the former Vice President resident cannot be forced out of the race on the grounds of his age.

“My opinion about people mounting pressure on Atiku to jettison his presidential ambition because of age is that you can’t tell anybody to retire from politics on the account of age, it is on account of capacity, good health, sound health, and his popularity with the electorate,” he said.