Don’t run for presidency in 2027, northern elders warn Atiku

Don’t run for presidency in 2027, northern elders warn Atiku

A major bloc in the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has warned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to drop his intention of contesting the 2027 presidential election.

He was advised to rather pass the torch to a younger capable person.

The NEF bloc led by its former spokesperson and until recently the Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated this.

Atiku was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PD) in the 2023 election which was won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Since 1993, Atiku has always contested for the top post in the country. Although he is yet to announce he will contest in 2027 and has also not renounced it, his increasing political meetings and visits to statesmen in the country point to another bid to contest.

His men have continued to float him as the most formidable opponent that can unseat President Bola Tinubu and have begun to move to a new political party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following troubles in the PDP.

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He has continued his vitriolic attacks on President Bola, espousing policies he feels he could implement if he becomes president.

But the ambition has now suffered early damage following Baba-Ahmed’s warning: don’t contest, allow a younger generation to take on President Tinubu, whom he had earlier accused of providing the worst leadership in the country as soon as he resigned his position a few weeks ago.

In an interview aired on Channels Television, Baba-Ahmed stated that Atiku, who has contested the presidency six times, should now assume the role of an elder statesman and help nurture visionary leaders with integrity, empathy, and new ideas.

He had issued a similar appeal to President Tinubu in an open letter dated April 23, warning that a re-election bid would be a “grave mistake” given the current state of the nation.

“If I had the chance, I’d tell Atiku the same thing,” he said during the interview. “He’s done his bit. He’s been persistent. But now, he should play a fatherly role—help identify and support younger leaders.”

Baba-Ahmed argued that the PDP could remain a formidable force in the 2027 elections, but only if it fields a youthful candidate with fewer controversies, better health, and a reformist mindset.

He emphasized that the era of regional politics must give way to competence and national vision.

Don’t run for presidency in 2027, northern elders warn Atiku