(This photo was in 1993 when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar first contested the Nigerian presidential election.)
Contested 6 times already, he has lost three general elections as a candidate and three primaries as an aspirant. He is making a seventh attempt ahead of 2027.
Below is the timeline of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential contests, which is one of the longest pursuits in Nigeria’s history:
1. 1992-1993 — First attempt
• Party: Social Democratic Party (SDP)
• Event: SDP presidential primaries in Jos
• Result: Lost to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. Abiola 3,617 votes, Kingibe 3,255, Atiku 2,066.
• This is counted as the start of his 30-year run from 1993-2023.
2. 2007 — Second attempt / First time on ballot
• Party: Action Congress (AC) • Event: Announced 25 Nov 2006, chosen as AC candidate 20 Dec 2006. INEC initially disqualified him, Supreme Court overturned it 16 April 2007.
• General Election: 21 April 2007
• Result: 3rd place with ∼7% (2.6m votes) behind Umaru Yar’Adua (PDP) and Muhammadu Buhari (ANPP).
3. 2011 — Third attempt
• Party: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
• Event: Selected as Northern Consensus Candidate in Nov 2010, then PDP primaries Jan 2011
• Result: Lost to incumbent Goodluck Jonathan — Jonathan 2,736 votes, Atiku 805 votes.
4. 2015 — Fourth attempt
• Party: All Progressives Congress (APC)
• Event: APC presidential primaries in Lagos, Dec 2014 • Result: Lost to Muhammadu Buhari — Buhari 3,430, Rabiu Kwankwaso 974, Atiku 954.
5. 2019 — Fifth attempt / Second time on ballot
• Party: PDP
• Event: Won PDP primaries in Port Harcourt 7 Oct 2018 with 1,532 votes
• General Election: 23 Feb 2019
• Result: Lost to incumbent Muhammadu Buhari (APC) by over 3 million votes.
6. 2023 — Sixth attempt / Third time on ballot
• Party: PDP
• Event: Won PDP presidential primary at Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on 28 May 2022 with 371 votes vs Nyesom Wike 237.
• General Election: 25 Feb 2023
• Result: Came 2nd, lost to Bola Tinubu (APC).
7. 2027 — Seventh attempt (pending)
• Party: African Democratic Congress (ADC) — defected from PDP in 2025
• Event: Won ADC presidential ticket May 2026, defeating Rotimi Amaechi and others
• Status: Former VP said 2027 will be his last presidential run, described as his seventh Attempt at Nigeria’s presidency.
ℹ️(. Courtesy : Ethnic African Stories)