Atiku dismisses call by Ohanaeze Ndigbo asking him to retire from politics after Supreme Court loss

FORMER vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has dismissed a suggestion from Ohanaeze Ndigbo that he should retire from public life following his recent loss of a Supreme Court case challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.

On March 1, 2023, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) announced Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election. According to Inec,  the former Lagos State governor secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who garnered 6,984,520 and Peter Obi, the former Anambra State governor of the Labour Party, who got 6,101,533 votes.

Unsatisfied with the outcome, five political parties, the PDP, Labour Party, Action Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Movement and the Action Alliance, filed separate petitions before the tribunal seeking to annul President Tinubu’s victory. However, on September 6, the Presidential Election Tribunal delivered its verdict backing the election of President Tinubu and on October 26, Nigeria's Supreme Court upheld that judgement.

Following the judgement, Igbo socio-cultural umbrella group Ohanaeze Ndigbo, called on the former vice president to retire from politics. Alhaji Abubakar said, however, that despite the setback, he would still remain active in Nigerian politics and pledged to keep working with relevant stakeholders particularly the younger generation to ensure that the country realises its potential.

He added: “If you think I’m going to go away, forget about it. For as long as I breathe, I will continue to work for Nigerians to reach their potential.

Ohanaeze had said that Atiku’s lifelong ambition to become president has come to an end, saying the Nyesom Wike-led G-5 governors' group sank his plans. Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze's general secretary, said Alhaji Abubakar should retire from politics because he disregarded the zoning formula during the last presidential election.

Mazi Isiguzoro also commended former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Afenifere leader Ayo Adebanjo, who supported the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. He added: “We express our heartfelt gratitude to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Pa Ayo Adebanjo-led Afenifere, Dr Pogu Bitrus-led Middle Belt Forum, Pa Edwin-led Pan Niger Delta  and all others who stood firmly in support of Mr Peter Obi.

“Special appreciation is extended to the Nyesom Wike-led G5 Governors for their instrumental role in sinking the ambitions of Atiku Abubakar and the PDP. Former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s lifelong ambition to become president has reached its conclusion.

“It is now the opportune moment for him to gracefully retire from active politics, recognizing that his age necessitates this sacrifice to salvage the PDP, which he externally damaged in 2015 by aligning with the APC to remove Jonathan and internally in 2023 by disregarding the zoning formula that favoured the southeast and the Igbo people.”