Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, clarified reports of saying he will step down for a younger presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Atiku was reported during an interview with BBC Hausa Service to have said he was ready to step down for a younger, vibrant and widely accepted presidential candidate of the ADC.
However, Atiku said he only encouraged young candidates to join the presidential race.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku clarified that he would only support such young candidates if he emerged through a competitive process.
The statement titled: "Reports that Atiku will step down for another is false," reads: "It has become necessary to clarify certain misrepresentations arising from the reportage of an interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to the BBC Hausa Service by some sections of the media.
"After a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview - in the original Hausa and the English translation - it is evident that at no point did the former Vice President expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone.
"What Atiku Abubakar clearly and unambiguously said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter the contest. He further stressed that if a young candidate were to emerge through a competitive primary, he would readily support such a candidate without any hesitation.
"While interpretative journalism is a legitimate aspect of reporting, stretching interpretation to the point of mischief is unacceptable and must not be encouraged.
"For the records, therefore, the insinuations attributed to the Waziri Adamawa from his BBC Hausa interview are inaccurate and do not reflect what he actually said."
