“I Never Offered Obi Vice Presidential Slot”-  Atiku

By Adesina Soyooye

Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 General Elections, has put a lie to the story that he has offered Peter Obi the Vice Presidential slot to run with him (Atiku) Atiku under a Coalition.

The story broke on Monday, went viral, and has been a subject of discussion since then. And even though Obi has denied any such offer, it has not doused the argument for, and against.

But speaking to the Guardian Newspaper,  Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku, said there was no such thing yet, but admitted that both Leaders are committed to forming and strengthening a strong coalition to sweep the All Progressives Congress, APC, out of office in 2027.

On the alleged offer to Obi to run with him, and his promise to serve a one-year term only, Atiku, through Ibe, dismissed it as too serious for speculation.

He said: “There are certain things you can’t just speculate about – especially, something this historical, you understand?

“Everyone is speculating. Depending on who they are, you know, but a thing like this isn’t something you throw around carelessly.

“What I can officially confirm to you is that they’re working seriously with all the opposition leaders to build a very viable coalition platform.

“Some of the details are still under wraps, not yet public. But the process is ongoing, and change is going to happen sooner than later.

“When the Coalition finally comes together and takes off, you can be sure people will get on board at multiple stations along the way, along the track.”

Recall that Governors in same Atiku’s PDP say they have nothing to do with the coalition Atiku and others are building, but Atiku says much as the Governors are very important and respected stakeholders, “power truly belongs to the people, and the people are powering this coalition process.”

Obi was Atiku’s running mate in 2019 under the banner of the PDP.  They were defeated by then incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo. But in 2023, Atiku and Obi ran for the Presidency under different Parties – PDP and Labour Party respectively. They were defeated by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima of the APC.