Former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as too old to seek the presidency again, drawing a comparison to United States President Joe Biden.
Speaking during an interview on TVC’s Politics Tonight programme, Fayose said Abubakar, though personally respectable, has been overtaken by time. “Atiku is now really old. He’s a good man, but time has caught up with him. Atiku contesting an election is like calling Biden to come and contest again,” he said.
Fayose also weighed in on the political prospects of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, whom he identified as Abubakar’s running mate. He said Amaechi would struggle to command support in the South-South region due to diminished political influence. “In Rivers State, during this election, Amaechi will have very little support. Even the party is not together,” Fayose said.
He added that the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress lack grassroots presence. “Most of these ADC and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, members are not on ground. Nobody is connected to those parties yet,” he said.
Fayose framed the current political moment as a final electoral chapter for three major figures. “Let me say this again: President Bola Tinubu, Atiku and Peter Obi, this is their last chance of contesting an election. The three of them,” he said.
The remarks come amid ongoing realignment among Nigeria’s opposition parties ahead of the next general election cycle. Fayose, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, has frequently commented on national political dynamics since leaving office in 2018.
Neither Abubakar’s camp nor Amaechi’s office had responded to the comments at the time of this report.
