For many who imagined Atiku Abubakar's days of running for Nigeria's highest political office are over, he'd like you to perish the thought.
At a press conference on Monday, October 30, 2023 to address the Supreme Court's judgement that validated President Bola Tinubu's occupation of Aso Rock Villa, the former vice-president said he's going nowhere.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed his disappointment with the decision of the Supreme Court and presented seven notable proposals on how the country should improve its electoral system going forward.
He noted that his 2023 election battle may be over, but he plans to stick around, hinting he may yet again run for president in 2027.
"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.
"That struggle should now be led by the younger generation of Nigerians who have even more at stake than my generation," he said.
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Atiku's history of running for president
Atiku made his first attempt for Nigeria's top spot when he contested for the presidential ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and lost the first round to a certain MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election.
14 years later in 2007, after serving two terms as vice-president to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku made another leap for the top spot. He dumped PDP and even won a landmark Supreme Court case to be able to participate in the election as the candidate of the Action Congress (AC). However, he finished third with 2.6 million votes in a controversial election won by Umaru Musa Yar'Adua who scored a record 24.6 million votes.
Back with the PDP in 2011, Atiku lost the party's primary presidential election to eventual winner, Goodluck Jonathan, and, as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, lost the party's primary presidential election to eventual winner, Muhammadu Buhari.
After ending up on the ballot again, as the PDP's candidate, in 2019, he finished second with 11.3 million votes behind Buhari, who won a second term in office, with 15.2 million votes.
Atiku's contest for the PDP's ticket again for the 2023 election was the cause of a major rift in the party, as a faction led by Nyesom Wike insisted it was the turn of a candidate from the South to run on the ticket.
Atiku had his way after the party decided not to zone the ticket to any particular region, and beat Wike in a close primary contest. However, he lost the general election again, scoring 6.98 million votes and finishing second behind Tinubu who scored 8.79 million votes.
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If he wins a party's presidential ticket to contest again in 2027, Atiku would be 80 years old — the oldest major candidate to appear on the ballot.