The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday dropped a hint that he will still contest for the presidency in future.
Atiku said this during a press conference in Abuja where he addressed the October 26, 2023 verdict of the Supreme Court which affirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the February 25 presidential election.
“As for me and my party this phase of our work is done. However, I am not going away. For as long as I breathe I will continue to struggle, with other Nigerians, to deepen our democracy and rule of law and for the kind of political and economic restructuring the country needs to reach its true potential,” Atiku said.
“That struggle should now be led by the younger generation of Nigerians who have even more at stake than my generation.”
Justice John Okoro of the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals made by Atiku and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi challenging the victory of Tinubu.
Atiku in his address on Monday said as for him and his party, this phase of their work is done, however, he is not going away.
He stated that for as long as he breathes, he will continue to struggle, with other Nigerians, to deepen the nation’s democracy and rule of law and for the kind of political and economic restructuring the country needs to reach its true potential.
According to him, that struggle should now be led by the younger generation of Nigerians who have even more at stake than his generation.
“I believe that we still have a small window to prevent these from happening,” the former vice president while referring to the judgement of the Supreme Court.
“I still believe that we can rescue this country from the strange imposters that have seized it illegally and are holding it by the jugular.”
Atiku who started contesting for the presidency at the age of 47 has vied for the position six times.
The first time the 76-year-old Atiku vied for the position was 30-years ago in 1993.
He lost the Social Democratic Party’s presidential nomination (SDP) after finishing third in the primary behind the ultimate winner of the annulled presidential election of June 12, 1993, the late Chief Moshood Abiola.
Atiku was back in 2017 to run for president on the platform of the Action Congress (AC) which later merged with other political parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He finished third behind the presidential flagbearer of the PDP, Umaru Yar’Adua and the All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate, Muhammadu Buhari who represented the APC.
Atiku’s came back for the third time to contest for the presidential election in 2011 after returning to the PDP but former President Goodluck Jonathan beat him to the party’s ticket during the primaries.
Undeterred, Atiku was back in 2015 after joining a new coalition, the APC but was beaten to the ticket once again by Buhari during the party’s primaries.
Atiku returned to the PDP in 2017 but despite clinching the party’s presidential primaries, he lost the election to President Buhari in 2019.
He was back again in 2023 but lost to Tinubu while Obi came third in the presidential, according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
THEGUARDIAN
