The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Mr. Peter Obi and Mr. Atiku Abubakar of harbouring desperate ambitions to become Nigeria’s President in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Both Obi and Atiku, former vice presidential candidates in past elections, have reportedly been exploring avenues to form an alliance aimed at unseating the ruling APC in 2027.
In response to these reports, APC spokesperson Felix Morka labelled Obi as a “political wayfarer” and Atiku as a “veteran political wanderer,” suggesting that their intentions are driven by a relentless quest for power rather than genuine concern for the nation’s welfare.
Morka’s statement emphasized the purported disdain of both politicians towards President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, contrasting it with what they perceive as their own aspirations for the presidency.
The speculation about a potential alliance between Obi and Atiku gained momentum following a recent meeting between the two former presidential candidates. This meeting has fueled speculations about whether they would join forces or merge their respective political parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, the exact nature of their collaboration remains uncertain, with questions lingering about whether Obi would return to the PDP, Atiku would join the Labour Party, or both would explore alternative political avenues, potentially aligning with Professor Pat Utomi’s proposed mega-party.
Read APC’s statement in full below:
ATIKU, OBI, UNITED BY MUTUAL DESPERATION
A recent visit by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, to his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has fueled speculations of a possible alliance between both men or merger of their political parties in the lead up to 2027.
What is unclear, however, is whether Obi would make a comeback to Atiku’s PDP or whether Atiku would dump his PDP and seek rehabilitation in Obi’s Labour Party or whether both men would abandon PDP and Labour, altogether, and sojourn into the political wilderness of Professor Pat Utomi’s mega party.
News of Peter Obi’s return to the PDP would be hardly surprising. His reputation as a political wayfarer is only dwarfed by Atiku’s track record as a veteran political wanderer. News of Atiku joining the Labour party will shock no one as he will be living up to his well established reputation as the country’s most itinerant politician. For now, Utomi’s mega party remains a figment with no offering of tangible accommodation for both men.
Atiku and Obi are united by their mutual desperation to be President of Nigeria and ignoble disdain for President Bola Tinubu’s focused and extraordinary commitment to the transformation of our nation. Their restless drift in search of convenient party platforms to execute their presidential run only belie the self-indulgent and opportunistic essence of their aspirations. Men without the staying power to build or fix their own parties, who flee at the slightest flicker of internal crisis cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to tackle serious and complex national political and economic challenges that confront our nation.
President Bola Tinubu embodies character, vision, tenacity and doggedness required to deliver a resurgent Nigeria of stable growth and development. The administration’s bold economic policy reforms and massive infrastructural uptake have already shattered historic barriers to growth, and paved the way for steady progress and development.
We urge Nigerians to stand fast in their invaluable support of our great Party and President Bola Tinubu’s determined commitment to deliver a stronger, secure and more prosperous country for us all.
Signed:
Felix Morka, Esq.
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)