Allies of Atiku Abubakar in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are exploring the possibility of pairing the former vice-president with Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
Sources say if Obi declines the offer, Atiku may turn to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state.
Dele Momodu, a political ally of Atiku, urged Obi to consider forming an alliance with the opposition leader to defeat President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu described Atiku and Obi as the “strongest potential alliance” against the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku and Obi ran on a joint PDP ticket in the 2019 election but lost to Muhammadu Buhari. They ran separately in 2023, with Atiku on the PDP platform and Obi on the Labour Party (LP) ticket, but both lost to Tinubu.
Momodu said the reluctance of both men to unite stemmed from the posture of Obi’s supporters.
His words: “There is no way any southern candidate can defeat Tinubu. If Peter Obi does not take advantage of a ready-made union between him and Atiku, it would be very unfortunate.
“A lot of people are underrating Amaechi. If Obi does not make up his mind or chooses to run alone, then I believe the mantle might fall on Rotimi Amaechi.”
He warned that delaying alliance talks could weaken opposition efforts.
“The person you want to dislodge is already a president. He wants to create a false image of someone who cannot be defeated,” he told Punch.
Yunusa Tanko, spokesperson for Obi and national coordinator of the Obidient Movement, reaffirmed Obi’s readiness to run in 2027.
“At the moment, we are looking for a leader who has the capacity to move around the country to deal with the issues,” he said.
