The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP Peter Obi, has agreed to be the running mate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 Presidential Election, The Punch reports.
The former Anambra state governor is only awaiting the nod of key loyalists in the Obedient Movement, his political support group, on the issue, the newspaper said quoting sources close to the former helmsman.
It’s further reported that Obi had agreed to be Abubakar’s running mate on the mutual agreement that the former Vee Pee Joint- ticket with Obi is for one term only, without clarifications on what becomes of Obi’s presidential ambition thereafter.
Political analysts insist that Abubakar may support Obi for President in 2031 if the agreement for the 2027 Joint- ticket between the two opposition leaders succeed.
Meanwhile, close sources who are well informed about what is going on in the Obedient Movement told The Source magazine that the issue may polarised the Movement, but that what will be the major focus of Obi’s key loyalists in the Movement is whether his presidential ambition will be achieved in the long run.
Recall that Obi was Abubakar’s running mate under the People’s Democratic Party, PDP banner in the 2019 presidential election which they lost to Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress Candidate.
According to the newspaper, Obi had agreed with Abubakar to be his running mate, at a recent meeting in London where the politicians agreed to work out other modalities before a final decision can be reached on the matter. The bottom line, the newspaper said is that Obi had requested that he sought the backing of the key leaders in the Obidient Movement before making a final decision.
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
The development is coming on the heels of recent coalition talks among some top opposition leaders in the country, in the preparation for the next presidential election. Obi and Abubakar have openly declared their support the coalition, which they insist will stop President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
The two opposition leaders in the country are believed to be working with a former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El Rufai considered by political pundits as the arrowhead of the push by forces bent on ousting Tinubu from power through democratic means in 2027.
The former governor, the magazine reported recently dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Social Democratic Party, SDP, the political party, many insist will be used as the rallying point to achieve their aim to take over power form the APC.
Instructively, Obi and Atiku have yet to declare whether they will join the SDP even though their parties, LP and PDP have been facing internal crisis, which threatens to rupture their parties ahead the crucial election.
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