Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has firmly denied claims suggesting he plans to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a yet-to-be-unveiled mega political platform being proposed by a coalition of opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku’s position was clarified by his media aide, Paul Ibe, during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television on Thursday.
Ibe stressed that Atiku has no intention of leaving the PDP, stating, “My principal has said that he wasn’t leaving the PDP, and you have to respect what he has said.”
While dispelling defection rumours, Ibe confirmed that Atiku has been in conversation with notable opposition figures, including Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
“There is an ongoing discussion between Atiku Abubakar and some opposition leaders like Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai. Yes, it’s out there in the open. The discussion is still ongoing. At the end of that discussion, they will come out with a position and a direction that we’re going to follow based on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians,” Ibe said.
Opposition mega platform stirs debate as PDP
The debate around opposition unity has intensified since the PDP Governors Forum recently ruled out any alliance with other opposition structures.
In response, Babachir Lawal, a key member of the coalition and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, fired back, claiming the PDP was never part of their considerations in the first place.
Atiku’s rebuttal comes shortly after the opposition coalition distanced itself from reports that it had adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its unified platform.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Mallam Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and stakeholder in the coalition, labelled the report “false and misleading.”
The ongoing developments signal a fluid political terrain ahead of 2027, with conversations around realignment, coalitions, and party loyalty dominating the opposition’s strategy discourse.
