The report on former Vice President Atiq Abubakar, who offered Peter Obi the role of Vice President in a joint ticket to the 2027 Presidential Contest, sparked a barrage of speculation.
If the report is anything, Atiku’s offer portends a significant move that could rejig opposition dynamics, especially among young people seeking an alternative to the current system.
Neither Atiku nor Obi have confirmed the reported offers, but Atiku, who will be over 80 by 2027, reports that Obi will serve as vice president and is considering taking over him in four years.
This development is an important political dig that raises questions about Obi’s ambitions, the future of his youth-led political movements, and the evolution of opposition strategies in Nigeria.
Atiku-obi Partnership
Atik and Obi are political allies. In 2019, they ran on the People’s Democratic PDP platform on joint tickets, with Atik running as a presidential candidate and Obi running as his running companion. Their loss to President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid marked the end of that alliance.
In the 2023 election, they fought for separate presidential candidates, with Atik representing the PDP and the OBI under the Labour LP.
Both lost to APC, but Obi’s performance shocked political establishment. He finished third, but defeated Atik and APC’s Volatinub in many states, including Lagos and Abuja, the federal capital territory.
But as 2027 approaches, Atik has been sought a new alliance. Obi orders a loyal and energetic base consisting of young Nigerians and middle class. Working with him could improve Atik’s reliability and opportunity. With Tinubu likely to seek reelection and APC still the dominant force, Atiku-obi tickets may be the only viable opposition to Aso Rock.
But what’s in there for Obi?
Obi’s dilemma
For many reasons, former governors of Anambra state will find it difficult to accept Atik’s offer.
To his supporters, Obi represents generational change and political integrity. His campaign in 2023 fulfilled the promise of being freed from establishment – Atik belongs and represents in many ways. Even the promise of succession, working with Atik for the upcoming election could be considered an ideological backslide.
Obi repeatedly argues that his ambition is not merely to gain power, but to do so with a power of attorney rooted in reliability, purpose and reform.
After beating Atiku in many states in 2023, accepting a VP slot from him could be considered a political return. It was able to motivate his most vocal supporters, especially those who viewed Atik as a symbol of the old political order that Obi had vowed to challenge.
Furthermore, the promises that were allegedly provided by Attic are not legally binding.
Submissive responds
Obi’s followers, who belong to the growing demographics of Nigeria’s politically active youth, officially rejected the idea that he was representing Atik in 2027.
In a statement on Monday, May 19, the obedient movement said that reports linking the principal to a VP deal with Atiku were not true.
Babatonde Gbadamosi, one of the enthusiastic followers of Obi, a former candidate for governor in Lagos, declared his position with emphasis.
“I don’t support tickets where @Peterobic is not a presidential candidate and Dutty Baba Ahmed is not a vice presidential candidate,” he said.
The submissive response emphasizes Nigerian resolve about politics. They are not only interested in defeating APCs. They want a different kind of transparent and inclusive politics.
The final shot of Atik in the presidency?
For Atiku, the offer represents both strategic foresight and political despair. The six fights and failures for the president know that 2027 may be his last realistic opportunity.
His political capital within the PDP remains important, but the party is undermined by the internal crisis following the losses in 2023.
A successful deal between Atiku and Obi could reinvigorate the former appeal and present a united front that could challenge Tinubu’s incumbent.
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However, the success of the transaction depends on whether Obi may or may not have plunged his political identity and autonomy into risk risk, leading to greater power later on.
What does this mean to Obi?
In Obi’s case, the conditioned arrangement means he is at a crossroads.
Accepting Atik’s offer could potentially gain him short-term political power, but at the expense of long-term credibility. Refusing it allows him to isolate him from mainstream coalition politics, but also strengthen his image as an unestablished member.
This decision could depend on how Obi views his path to presidency. It is either he achieves it through grassroots momentum and ideological purity, or through compromise and strategic alignment.
For now, the alliance remains speculative and we cannot know what the accumulation of the 2027 election has for Obi and Attic until Obi takes an officially clear position.
Vanguard News
