Will ATIKU Step Down For PETER OBI?

• As Both Meet To Strategise For 2027

The race for 2027 presidential election is gradually taking shape, as the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party Candidate, Mr Peter Obi  are set to defeat the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.

There have been several  meetings between the 2 political gladiators to form a strong alliance in order to stand a chance of winning the next election. Last week there was another meeting between Mr Peter Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, when Mr Obi paid Atiku a courtesy visit at his country home in Adamawa.

That was why the ruling All Progressives Congress has warned that no alliance of the opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, will be potent enough to stop President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The warning was given by the National Publicity Director of APC, Bala Ibrahim, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, a few days ago.

Ibrahim was reacting to a statement by Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, that both his Principal and his Labour Party counterpart had learnt their lessons in the last general elections and would unite to kick out the “incompetent and clueless” administration of the APC.

According to him, the combined votes of the 2 leaders, which would have amounted to 12 million, should have been enough to stop the President and prevent the hardship he has meted out to Nigerians.

Ibe also expressed his views on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Predictably, reactions have trailed the interview with major opposition agreeing that a coalition of forces or merger could indeed defeat the APC in the same manner as the one witnessed in 2015 when former President Muhammadu Buhari defeated a sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan.

When contacted, Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, emphasised that his principal was committed to a better Nigeria and would be willing to collaborate with anyone who shared his vision, as long as their desire isn’t state capture.

Ibrahim said, “this dedication stems from his unshakeable optimism in the country’s potential and his focus on the welfare and prosperity of all citizens. Regarding Paul Ibe’s statement about Atiku’s willingness to unite with Obi, it’s clear that both leaders are open to working together to save Nigeria from the APC-led administration’s tyranny.

However, Obi’s commitment to collaboration isn’t limited to any particular individual or party.”

On its part, the opposition political parties in Nigeria under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties and the Social Democratic Party have expressed concerns, saying the country needed more than a coalition between the 2023 presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party.

CUPP and SDP stated that to defeat the APC, Nigerians must demand credible elections and form a coalition of trustworthy leaders to spearhead a rescue movement that served the nation’s collective interest.

In an another interview, CUPP National Secretary, Peter Ahmeh acknowledged that a coalition could aid opposition parties in defeating the APC.

Ahmeh emphasised that the key coalition needed at this time was one focused on ensuring free and fair elections.

He stated, “Our country has its ways. Atiku is a wonderful leader in Nigeria. That is very important. But the fact is there will be some sentiments that will come into play if you don’t put a person from southern Nigeria on the ballot. If you don’t do that, the idea that the northerners have taken over their eight years will now become part of the discussion across southwestern, South Eastern, and South-South Nigeria.

“So, what we should do is believe that at the end of the day, these two leaders and other leaders will find common ground, where they will put the interest of Nigeria before their personal interests, allowing us to win this election and determine the future of Nigeria in a way that will benefit all Nigerians.”

Reacting to the possibility of a coalition between Atiku and Obi’s group to defeat the APC, he stated that in addition to a coalition, Nigerians must demand that elections be decided and concluded at the polling unit.

He added, “Yes, a coalition can help the opposition party defeat the APC. There’s no doubt about that. It will also facilitate the easy defeat of the APC.

“But the most important coalition we need at this moment is one that ensures elections are free and fair. Because if we do that, even when people form a coalition, we still face the problem of draconian leadership that can cause glitches in the server, or manipulate election results without proper authority behind it. The solution is that our elections should be decided by the polling unit.”

“The Republic of Ghana has shown this. If you look at the commission chairperson, votes are cast at the polling unit, votes are recorded at the polling unit, and winners are announced at the polling unit. We should do away with these coalition centres, which are fraudulent centres for the manipulation of results.

We still believe that when the people are determined and stay true to their convictions, the electorate will go to the polling unit and make their decision. But a coalition will only facilitate and make it easier for the opposition to reach the Presidency.”

The National Chairman of SDP, Shehu Gabam, stated that a coalition may not be the right solution at this time.

He stated, “The coalition will not do much right now. The decay is extremely bad, and the loss of gravity in the political space is another point of concern. What people are looking forward to is the assembly of credible individuals to form a rescue movement that is credible and has a solid base; this has nothing to do with the coalition of political parties.

The parties, over a long period of time, could not galvanise themselves. The trust deficit has enveloped the various political parties, apart from a few. Even if you merge all the parties, the roles of individuals who are good, credible, and have been tested will draw people, not the roles of the political parties.

“There is a trust deficit, and this may lead to a crisis among various political parties. What the people are looking for are individuals who have a record of service and the ability to be creative.

Regarding Atiku and Obi, he said, “All I know is that every hand is needed to be on board to salvage the situation. We are talking about salvaging Nigeria. And the knowledge required to do that is not domiciled in a single individual. We have a multitude of talents in the country, with the energy and capacity to turn things around for good; it’s just that they have not been organised.

So, for me, what is critical is to focus on the individuals, the energy sector, and their intellectual base to harness the strength in our diversity for the benefit of all.”

Similarly, the All Progressives Grand Alliance said it was ready to form an alliance with other progressive political forces across party lines to build a Nigeria that citizens could be proud of.

The National Chairman of APGA, Sly Ezeokenwa, made this known while briefing newsmen in Abujaba few days ago, echoing similar sentiments expressed by the party’s National Leader and Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo.

Ezeokenwa stated that with the party’s internal leadership tussle resolved by a Supreme Court judgment affirming his chairmanship, APGA was now poised to reclaim its position in Nigeria’s political landscape.

APGA proudly has elected representatives within and outside the South East. We are ready and willing to work with all other progressives to build Nigeria because we believe in our country.

As part of our commitment to reconciliation, we have granted amnesty to party members who are genuinely repentant, irrespective of which side they supported during the crisis,” he said.

But Bala Ibrahim laughed at the thought of both Atiku and Obi, who he described as strange bedfellows, coming together with the sole aim of stopping Tinubu in the 2027 election.

But for 2027, anybody with his head on his shoulders will be better than President Bola Tinubu. Atiku and Obi will be a welcome development if they agree to work together and manage their egos. But I believe there will be more viable options that we can pick from.

Atiku brought Obi to lime light in 2019, so what Obi searched for and couldn’t find in 2023, he may also want to search for the same thing in 2027. So, for me, it is an ego issue. If Obi can manage his ego and if Atiku can open his heart more, they stand a chance, but I will not foreclose Nigeria’s liberation on them.

In all this, political analysts, and well meaning Nigerians are asking who will step down for who? Will Atiku step down for Peter Obi presidential candidate or as Peter Obi agreed to run as vice to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar? Time will tell.