. No, Join southeast leaders, work with Tinubu – Umahi urges Peter Obi
There are indications that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may have offered the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi a vice president role in a joint single-term ticket.
Reliable multiple sources involved in the coalition efforts, who requested anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, told The PUNCH that the proposal was initially discussed during a meeting between Atiku and Obi early this year in the United Kingdom.
The insiders disclosed that Atiku has committed to serving a single four-year term, and Obi has agreed to be the former VP’s running mate.
However, the ex-Anambra state governor was said to be working to secure the backing of his core loyalists.
In the 2019 presidential election, Obi served as Atiku’s running mate under the Peoples Democratic Party, where they lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.
On March 20, Atiku, Obi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others in Abuja announced the formation of a coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
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The announcement sparked widespread debate about the prospects of opposition unity, with political stakeholders expressing varied opinions.
Nearly two months later, Nigerians are still waiting to hear from the political leaders, as both Atiku’s PDP and Obi’s LP remain mired in internal political crises.
A party chieftain privy to the political permutations told The PUNCH that Atiku and Obi have come to an agreement and are now in the process of consulting with their loyalists.
He said, “You know that by this time next year, by May 2026, almost all parties would have unveiled their presidential candidates for the 2027 elections. So, the coalition move is mindful of that.
“The leaders have all agreed that it’s only a coalition between Atiku, Obi, and others that can wrest power from Tinubu. So, they are crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s to finalise this.
“Atiku and Obi met earlier this year in the UK. That was where Atiku first mooted the idea of a coalition and urged Obi to be his running mate. Obi then asked for time to think it over and consult his loyalists.
“But recent developments show that Obi has accepted to be Atiku’s running mate, and Atiku has also agreed to serve a single four-year term and hand over to the former Anambra State governor. They have both agreed to sign a written agreement if necessary. Obi is trying to get the buy-in of his loyalists before this is formally announced.”
When questioned about the political platform they intended to use, given the crises in both the PDP and LP, another source revealed that they are considering the African Democratic Congress.
“The crisis in PDP and LP is frustrating. While they are both making efforts and waiting to see if the crisis can be resolved in favour of their camps, they are both looking at possible political parties to run on.
“The Social Democratic Party was part of the plans before now, but it seems the ruling APC has also infiltrated the party. So, they are tilting towards the ADC. As a matter of fact, some of the loyalists have been meeting with the ADC leadership, and others have quietly joined the party. So, if things do not favour them in LP and PDP, they may join ADC.”
Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said he could not speak on the agreement reached between the two opposition leaders.
Ibe, in an interview with The PUNCH, stated, “I know that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have been talking about the coalition. I cannot speak on the specific agreement they have reached.
“All I can tell you is that both of them are focused on ensuring that they build a viable coalition that will be robust enough to accommodate diverse Nigerians to unseat the clueless APC government in 2027.”
A loyalist of Obi and the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Peter Ahmeh, declined to comment on the single four-year term agreement but clarified that the former Anambra State governor is working with others to resolve the crisis within the Labour Party.
In response to The PUNCH’s inquiry about whether an agreement has been finalised for Obi to be Atiku’s running mate, Ahmeh simply said, “No comment on this one, until I speak with my oga.”
He continued, “My position on this remains that, for us to defeat the APC, we must follow the rules of engagement so we don’t allow Tinubu to become the landlord in the southern part of Nigeria when we have somebody who can defeat him effortlessly.
“We are in the LP as we speak, and that is the option available to accommodate everyone because you cannot sleep in a hostile environment and expect to succeed.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi has said that all the five Southeast governors are supporting and working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
The Minister also said that there is an ongoing plan to organise a summit that will bring together leaders from the Southeast, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, to formally endorse President Tinubu for the 2027 elections.
This is as he said that a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is nearing completion and that users will have to pay a toll starting in December.
Senator Umahi disclosed these in a feature interview for an upcoming State House documentary marking President Tinubu’s second anniversary.
While declaring that all the governors in the Southeast region are supporting the President, he urged the undecided, such as the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, to join the train.
Obi is arguably the most prominent political figure in the southeast with massive followers within the region and across the country.
But Umahi said that all Southeast governors are in support of President Tinubu’s administration, regardless of their political affiliations.
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