Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, said that contrary to media reports, he would not be stepping down for anyone in the 2027 presidential race.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was quoted to have said this in an interview.
In the interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Abubakar was quoted to have said that he would step down for a younger candidate who had certain qualities.
But in a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, Abubakar, now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he did not say he was going to step down for anyone.
Ibe said in the statement: “It has become necessary to clarify certain misrepresentations arising from the reportage of an interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to the BBC Hausa Service by some sections of the media.
“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.
“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 records, therefore, the insinuations attributed to the Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said.”
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