Nigeria, April 25 -- In politics, as in life, knowing when to step forward is a skill, but knowing when to step aside is wisdom. For former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, it is time for the latter. The man has climbed Nigeria's electoral mountain for far too long. He has fought gallantly, invested heavily, endured betrayals, made alliances, and rebranded himself more times than most politicians in modern Nigerian history. But the time has come for the Waziri of Adamawa to disembark. If not for the sake of political dignity, then for the future of the very democracy he claims to defend.

Atiku's political career is the stuff of a Nigerian epic. His first presidential attempt was as far back as 1993 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), ...