2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, Denies Rumors of Vice Presidential Deal with Atiku Abubakar

Strategic Insights -

Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reacted to growing speculation that he might run as a vice-presidential candidate alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election. Obi, while speaking at a public event in Kubwa, Abuja, where he donated to a school and hospital project managed by the Anglican Church, indirectly addressed the rumors, saying "You can make of the report what you want, but I'm in a coalition against bad governance, hunger, and poverty." The alleged deal was reportedly made during a private meeting between Atiku and Obi in the United Kingdom earlier this year, with sources indicating that Atiku assured Obi that he would serve only one term and hand over power afterwards.

Key Takeaways:

  • Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has denied rumors that he might run as a vice-presidential candidate alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
  • The alleged deal was reportedly made during a private meeting between Atiku and Obi in the United Kingdom earlier this year, with Obi's team seeking time to think over the proposal and consult his loyalists.
  • Sources have indicated that Atiku assured Obi that he would serve only one term and hand over power afterwards.
  • The proposed alliance has revived memories of the 2019 presidential election, when Obi was Atiku's running mate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
  • The pair lost that election to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
  • Both the PDP and LP are battling internal crises, and coalition leaders are considering the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a possible platform.
  • Obi's team has designated the ADC as a potential platform, with some of his loyalists allegedly meeting with the ADC leadership.
  • Atiku's media aide, Paul Ibe, acknowledged coalition discussions but declined to confirm the deal.

Statistics:

  • 2023: The year the Labour Party presidential election took place.
  • 2027: The year the next presidential election is scheduled to take place.
  • 2019: The year the presidential election took place, when Obi and Atiku were running mates under the PDP.

Sources:

  • The PUNCH
  • Paul Ibe, Atiku Abubakar's media aide
  • Peter Ahmeh, a close Obi loyalist and National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties