Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, citing his age and health.
Kwankwaso made the call when members of the Fulani Farmers Association visited him at his Abuja residence, where he appealed to supporters of Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to persuade the former vice-president to abandon his presidential ambition.
According to Kwankwaso, Atiku should instead devote his time to his traditional responsibilities as the Wazirin Adamawa.
“Go to the Wazirin of Adamawa’s house and tell him in Fulani that he needs to focus on his traditional title of Wazirin, given his age and health,” Kwankwaso said.
He further promised that should the NDC ticket emerge victorious in the 2027 election, Atiku would be taken care of.
“If Allah grants us success, we will take good care of him, especially since you all come from Adamawa. An apology should be offered to him,” he said.
Kwankwaso’s comments come against the backdrop of Atiku’s declaration earlier in the year that the 2027 presidential election could be his final attempt at becoming Nigeria’s president.
Atiku, who would turn 80 in 2027, had acknowledged that age could make the forthcoming election his last outing.
“Certainly yes, because the stakes are higher and I believe that will be my last outing,” he had said.
The former vice-president has contested Nigeria’s presidency several times since returning to partisan politics in 1999
He first sought the presidency during the 1993 Social Democratic Party primaries but later stepped down in favour of the late MKO Abiola.
He subsequently contested the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the Action Congress, losing to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He also contested in 2011 under the Action Congress of Nigeria but lost to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Atiku returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and contested the 2019 presidential election, where he lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2023, he again emerged as the PDP presidential candidate but was defeated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
The latest exchange between Kwankwaso and Atiku adds a fresh dimension to the emerging political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as opposition figures position themselves for what is expected to be a highly competitive race.
While Kwankwaso is seeking to persuade Atiku to retire from the presidential contest, Atiku has continued to maintain his political presence and remains the ADC’s presidential candidate.
The development is also significant given the history between the two politicians, who have both occupied prominent positions within Nigeria’s opposition politics and previously belonged to the same political camp.
With the 2027 contest increasingly taking shape, the question of opposition consolidation, leadership succession and the age of presidential aspirants is expected to remain central to political debates in the months ahead.
