According to information obtained, the African Democratic Party faction led by former vice president Atiku Abubakar has begun its search for a politician from the southern region of the nation to serve as running mate in the 2027 election.
The bloc is reportedly considering Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential contender.
Information gathered by sources revealed that Atiku may be considering Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, if Obi refused to run alongside the former vice president.
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In an interview with journalists on Saturday, Mr. Dele Momodu, a political ally to Atiku, urged Obi to work with Atiku to remove President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu described Atiku and Obi as the strongest potential alliance capable of ending the hold of the All Progressives Congress on power.
Recall that both Atiku and Obi ran on a joint Peoples Democratic Party ticket in the 2019 election but lost to then-incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
Momodu blamed the reluctance of both men to agree to work together on Obi’s supporters.
“That is why they are trying to make every party have only southern candidates. They don’t want any strong opposition from the opposite direction (North). There is no way any Southern candidate can defeat Tinubu.
“I have said this to Peter Obi. We have met several times in my houses in Lagos and Ghana. If Peter Obi does not take advantage of a ready-made union between him and Atiku, it would be very unfortunate. It would be as good as working for Tinubu to come back,” he added.
Momodu also warned that delay could cost Obi a major political opportunity, Momodu said Atiku may settle for Amaechi as his running mate.
“A lot of people are underrating Amaechi. Amaechi single-handedly handed power to Buhari. What the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, is doing now, though in an unruly manner, Amaechi did quite well when he was governor of Rivers State. Amaechi mobilised more than any other person for Buhari, even more than Tinubu. If Obi does not make up his mind or chooses to run alone, then I believe the mantle might fall on Rotimi Amaechi.”
“The person you want to dislodge is already a President. He has everything. He is either coercing or cajoling the governors and senators to join him. He wants to present a false alibi that everybody loves him. He knows what he is doing.
“He wants to create a false image of someone who cannot be defeated, so that when they succeed at doing their manipulation, they will say, ‘what did you expect?’
“Despite all their shenanigans in 2023, they lost Lagos to Obi. They lost Osun to Gov Ademola Adeleke. Obi needs to make up his mind. For now, I don’t know his party. PDP is crumbling, LP has crumbled. Where does he want to go?”
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Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement and spokesman for Obi, Mr Yunusa Tanko, reaffirmed Obi’s readiness to contest the presidency in 2027.
Speaking to reporters, Tanko urged Atiku’s supporters to clarify their expectations of the former governor of Anambra State.
Tanko stated that a strong Southern candidate was still the best way to defeat Tinubu, implying that a combined ticket with Atiku might not be possible.
He said, “It all depends on what terms they want Obi to team up with them. At the moment, we are looking for a leader who has the capacity to move around the country to deal with the issues.
“Nigerians need a president who has the mobility and depth in knowing what is wrong with the country. When we team up together, there must be a dimension to what exactly we are doing together. If that is a discussion on the table, then we can begin to talk.
“To secure Nigeria, we need a capable leader who has the ability to fix things. Obi has these qualities. We must understand that the Presidency is already in the South. We need to give support to Mr Peter Obi to complete the four years of the South. This is the continuation we need this time.”
Additionally, he reaffirmed that Peter Obi was still committed to his promise of running a single term if elected.
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