Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to drop his ambition to run for president in 2027 or any other elections.
Fayose said since Nigerians are now looking for younger leaders, politicians like Atiku should step aside when they are still respected.
Fayose made this remark on Sunday’s episode of Politics Today on Channels Television.
He said, “At this point, with all due respect to him, I think he should consider stepping away from contesting in elections. By the time Asiwaju finishes his term, Atiku Abubakar will be 80 or 81. So, what will be the motivation? We should leave the stage when the applause is loudest. I respect him, but I think Nigerians are now more interested in younger leadership. So, on what grounds will Atiku run again?”
Fayose’s statement comes four months after Atiku held secret meeting with Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki on possible alliance.
Atiku has run for president several times, having lost in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. In 2019, Atiku and Obi ran together on the PDP ticket but lost to then incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. After internal crisis in PDP, Obi left the party and contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party.
2023: Tinubu 8,794,726, Atiku 6,984,520, Obi 6,101,533
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