Alleged Planned Alliance: Obi Meets With Atiku
Samuel Ogidan, Abuja
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar on Monday met over what could be described as a buildup to 2027.
The meeting, which was held at Atiku’s residence, may not be unconnected to the planned coalition of opposition parties ahead of the next presidential election.
The meeting, which was held in a closed door, lasted for about 20 minutes.
A source, who was privy to the meeting said that the meeting may not be far from the plan for the opposition parties to form a common front ahead of 2027 presidential election.
Recall that Atiku has been in the forefront for the opposition political parties to build a strong coalition ahead of the next election.
The source said: “Understand that Atiku has been urging the opposition to have a united front ahead of the 2027. The meeting between Atiku and Obi may not be unconnected to that call.
Atiku had in November last year while receiving a delegation from the national executive committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council Nigeria (IPAC), called on opposition parties in the country to form a coalition, adding that Nigeria needs a strong opposition to stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from turning the country into a one-party state.
Atiku had said: “You have come here today to say that we should cooperate in order to promote democracy.
“But the truth of the matter is that our democracy is fast becoming a one-party system, and of course, you know that when we have a one-party system, we should just forget about democracy.
“We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party.
“If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn. The project of protecting democracy in our country is not about just one man.”
Also, while reacting to the Senegal election, which produced 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye as president of that country, the former Vice President had on April 1, called on opposition political parties in Nigeria to learn from the exercise and form a coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku had said: “It is important to note that last Sunday’s election in Senegal follows the trend of that in Nigeria in 2015, that the opposition can, indeed, be victorious in an election conducted by the ruling party.
“And, for the opposition parties, the lessons are in agreement with my persistent call for our opposition parties to forge a coalition that is formidable enough to oust the ruling party if the salvaging of Nigeria is to stand any chance.”
