Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has refuted reports saying that he intends to step down for another presidential aspirant ahead of the 2027 elections. He recently described such reports as a misrepresentation of his new interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
In a press statement issued today, his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said that a careful review of both the video and transcripts of the interview showed that Atiku never talked about stepping down for anyone.
According to him, his principal only said that if a younger presidential aspirant successfully defeats him through a free and fair primary election, he would happily support the person to represent the coalition party in 2027.
He stated that Atiku is very much interested in more youth participation in Nigerian politics.
“After a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview – in the original Hausa and the English translation – it is evident that at no point did the former Vice President expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone.
What Atiku Abubakar clearly and unambiguously said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter the contest. He further stressed that if a young candidate were to emerge through a competitive primary, he would readily support such a candidate without any hesitation,” it read.
Ibe further noted that even though interpretative journalism is a legit form of reporting, the press must avoid misinterpreting words deliberately to suit certain agenda.
He concluded by reiterating that the fake report that trailed Atiku’s BBC Hausa interview should not be taken seriously.
“While interpretative journalism is a legitimate aspect of reporting, stretching interpretation to the point of mischief is unacceptable and must not be encouraged.
For the record, therefore, the insinuations attributed to Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said,” it added.
