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| Atiku Abubakar |
“As long as I'm alive and well, I will continue to run for office,” Atiku affirmed. “Abraham Lincoln, the former U.S. President, also ran seven times before he won.”
Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential nominee for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared his intention to persistently pursue the presidency as long as he remains alive and in good health.
Reflecting on his repeated attempts without success, the ex-vice president drew parallels to Abraham Lincoln, the former U.S. President, who ran seven times before securing a win.
This statement was made by Atiku during a Voice of America interview on their Hausa service.
“As long as I'm alive and well, I will continue to run for office,” Atiku affirmed. “Abraham Lincoln, the former U.S. President, also ran seven times before he won.”
Atiku, who is 77 now and will be 81 by the next general election in 2027, also addressed the ongoing turmoil within the PDP, stressing the need for unity among its members to clinch victory.
He noted, “The current situation within the PDP indicates that it will take more than individual efforts to win the election. We need strong backing and cooperation from other parties.”
Recently, Abubakar revealed he was in discussions with Peter Obi, the Labour Party's (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, about a potential alliance.
“To those who may think there will be discord between Obi and me, I assure you that we will not have even the slightest issue,” Abubakar stated.
He also expressed support for any candidate chosen to represent the party in future elections.
“In my earlier addresses, I've mentioned that if our parties decide to merge and select a candidate from the south-east who is competent, we will support it,” he said.
Atiku has attempted to become Nigeria's President six times: in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. In the 1993 Social Democratic Party presidential primaries, he was defeated by the late entrepreneur and politician, Moshood Abiola.
In the 2007 presidential election, he was the Action Congress's candidate, finishing third behind Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.
During the PDP's 2011 presidential primaries, he lost to the then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ahead of the 2015 presidential election, he joined the All Progressives Congress and ran in the presidential primaries, losing to Muhammadu Buhari. He returned to the PDP in 2017 and was the party's presidential candidate in the 2019 election, where he was defeated by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku's most recent attempt was in the 2023 election, where he was defeated by President Bola Tinubu.
