Former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, has called on Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to retire from contesting elections. According to Fayose, Atiku, who has run for the presidency six times without success, should reconsider his political future, particularly as he approaches his 80s.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Fayose remarked, “I am sure at this stage, with all due respect to him, he would rather want to stay away from the politics of contesting elections again.”
Fayose emphasized that the desire for younger leadership has grown stronger among Nigerians, suggesting that the former vice president should leave the stage while his legacy remains intact. “We should leave the stage when the ovation is loudest. I respect him, but I think Nigerians are craving for a younger generation now more than ever before,” Fayose stated.
Atiku, who will be nearly 80 years old by the 2027 elections, remains optimistic about contesting again. In May 2024, he told Voice of America Hausa, “God willing,” when asked if he would run for the presidency again, adding, “As long as God gives me strength, good health, and long life.”
However, Fayose questioned the viability of Atiku’s candidacy in light of the PDP’s internal struggles and the rise of alternative opposition figures like Peter Obi. “When we don’t have a party anymore, how can we defeat the APC? When Obi is now the voice of the opposition, the press will call Obi before they call the PDP,” Fayose observed, reflecting on the PDP’s deteriorating influence.
Atiku Abubakar has previously run for the presidency in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, with some losses occurring at the party primaries.
