There are fresh indications that several chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have resolved to snub former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and settle for the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, as the party’s flagbearer in the 2027 presidential election.
The secretive move comes just a week after governors elected on the PDP ticket forged a peace deal between party divisions.
Despite calls to maintain the status quo, members of the PDP National Working Committee loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have begun to advocate for Makinde’s candidature in the 2027 presidential election.
According to various sources who spoke with our correspondent, the idea is to stifle Atiku’s ambition and prevent the party from awarding the ticket to the former VP, whom they claim has become a’serial competitor.’
Some party leaders who spoke on the condition of anonymity admitted that they had yet to forgive the former PDP presidential candidate for squandering their best chance to return to power in 2023, following his refusal to appease the aggrieved five governors demanding the resignation of the PDP’s immediate past national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
Wike and Makinde, along with former Benue, Enugu, and Abia governors Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Okezie Ikpeazu, had worked to prevent Atiku from being elected in 2023.
“Every election cycle, you will be given a presidential ticket; you will bungle it. Look at the mess that he caused for us at the 2023 election. What was difficult about going to kneel before the aggrieved five governors (G-5) and winning the election for us?
“Now, it is one of those same men you cried about that is giving you a problem. He could have waited till after the election and deceived Wike as (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo did during his time. Atiku was not serious and sincere about winning that presidency,” a source explained.
A few members of the NWC, who did not want to be identified, also believed Atiku was constantly experimenting with the PDP and had not demonstrated enough zeal to win it, citing the way he handled his disagreements with Wike and the other four governors during the Ayu-must-go campaign.
They also believed that he would no longer be a sellable candidate in 2027 due to his age, necessitating the need for a younger and more lively candidate such as Makinde.
“Just because of Ayu, you sacrificed five governors. There was no way those five governors would not have changed the story for us. We lost the presidential election by less, or a little over one million votes.
“That is why we are seeking a way out. Nobody can just be coming and using the PDP to experiment every four years. For now, we are supporting Seyi Makinde. Let this aspiration go to the South West this time. Makinde has shown capacity. He is a Christian and a Southerner.
“Let us try the other side of the country for a change. Seyi is young and vibrant. He can connect with both the young and the old. We only need to get a powerful northern candidate for him, and he is good to go,” an NWC member disclosed.
When asked about the chances of Atiku working together with Peter Obi, who many thought would defect from the Labour Party in the wake of the leadership crisis rocking his party, the PDP chieftain said the former LP candidate was not willing to take the bait.
He said, “On Obi, I can tell you he has not made up his mind to come to the PDP. If he decides today, the equation may change. For now, he is still with the Labour Party.”
Meanwhile, Makinde has openly proclaimed that he is qualified to run for president in 2027 and that he will push for the agenda of that election when the time comes.
Makinde told reporters during a visit to Fashola Farm in Oyo Town on Friday that speculation regarding his political future was unwarranted and unwanted.
The governor stated that “he is old enough to speak for himself on any issue without fear or intimidation,” adding that he would do so publicly if he had anything to say about his political future.
The governor also warned Nigerians against allowing the country to devolve into a one-party system.
Attempts to obtain a response from PDP national publicity secretary Debo Ologunagba and deputy spokesman Abdullahi Ibrahim were unsuccessful.
When reached, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, refused to comment on the controversy.
However, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, stated that there was no pressure to choose Makinde, as had been anticipated.
According to him, instead of debating who should be granted the presidential ticket for 2027, people should focus on how Nigerians can overcome the country’s current challenges.
He said, “Who is threatened? We are talking about how Nigerians will survive the economic problems they are facing; some people are thinking about 2027. Is it not too early? We are concerned about the welfare of Nigerians. We are not bothered about their machinations.
“It is only a man who doesn’t have the interest of Nigerians at heart that will be talking about 2027, especially when people are dying every day. We are not ready for that drama.”
