FORMER Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has advised Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, to step away from contesting future elections in Nigeria.
Atiku has unsuccessfully vied for the presidency in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, with three of these losses occurring in party primaries.
“I believe, with all due respect, that at this stage he would rather distance himself from contesting in elections,” Fayose said during an interview, while discussing the internal crisis within the PDP.
Fayose, 63, suggested that as an octogenarian in the next election cycle, Atiku may no longer find the prospect of holding the country’s highest office appealing or exciting.
“By the time Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) finishes his term, Atiku Abubakar will be around 80 or 81 years old. What would be the attraction by then?” he asked. “We should bow out when the applause is loudest. I respect him, but I believe Nigerians are yearning for a younger generation to lead. So, on what grounds would Atiku run again?”
Despite Fayose’s view, Atiku remains optimistic about running in the 2027 presidential elections.
In May, he told Voice of America Hausa, “God willing” when asked if he would contest again, adding that he would continue as long as he has the strength, good health, and long life.
“Didn’t Abraham Lincoln run seven times before becoming President?” he asked rhetorically.
Addressing his party’s challenges, Fayose expressed concerns about the PDP’s dwindling influence, pointing out that the party’s structures have crumbled, and Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has emerged as the leading opposition figure.
“As I’ve always said, we can defeat the APC, but if we no longer have a party, how can we defeat them?” he said. “When the media now turns to Obi instead of the PDP for the opposition’s voice, and with the PDP’s internal suspensions and conflicts, where is the party?”
