Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will continue to vie for the number one office in the land as long as he is alive and healthy.
Atiku, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, while justifying the number of times he had contested without making headway, said even the former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, contested seven times before his eventual victory.
The former VP made the revelation about his intention to vie for the 2027 presidential election during an interview on the Hausa service of the Voice of America.
“Of course, I will keep contesting again and again as long as I am alive and healthy,” Atiku said. “Even the former US President Abraham Lincoln contested seven times before finally winning.”
His decision comes amidst speculations that he was working on a merger or alliance with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, and other opposition leaders to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. But former Director-General of the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, said the only condition that can make Obi consider returning to the PDP is if he will be given the presidential ticket.
In an interview with the BBC last week, Atiku said only the people and the party would decide his fate for the 2027 election, adding that it was too early to decide whether he would vie for the presidency or not in the next election cycle.