Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s African Democratic Party (ADC) bloc has begun looking for a politician from the southern part of the country to serve as his running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
The group is thought to be looking at Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential contender for 2023.
According to our sources, if Obi declines to run alongside the former vice president, Atiku will choose Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State.
Speaking with one of our journalists on Saturday, Mr. Dele Momodu, a political associate of Atiku, asked Obi to join forces with Atiku to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu identified Atiku and Obi as the strongest possible partnership capable of destroying the All Progressives Congress’s grasp on power.
In the 2019 election, both individuals campaigned on the Peoples Democratic Party ticket but were defeated by then-incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 2023, they campaigned independently, Atiku on the PDP platform and Obi on the LP framework, but both lost to Tinubu.
With Atiku being a member of the ADC and Obi still in the LP, Momodu believes the two must reconcile before 2027.
Momodu accused Obi’s followers of both men’s reluctance to cooperate.
“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 warned that a delay could cost Obi a big political chance and that Atiku may choose 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 mobilized 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.”
On efforts to reunite both men politically, Momodu stated, “I have informed Obi. There’s no time.
“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, and LP has crumbled. Where does he want to go?”
According to Momodu, Atiku and the former Anambra State governor still communicate frequently.
