ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, met with the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.
The private meeting held at the residence of the former Vice President in Abuja. Atiku was the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
However, while details of the meeting between Atiku and the former governor of Anambra State was not available as of press time, a source close to the former vice president said the parley might not be unconnected with the call by the former vice president for opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“None of them spoke about the meeting. But, we mustn’t forget that the former vice president has been calling for a coalition of opposition parties and all of that. Maybe, this is in that direction.
Atiku, while playing host to the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) last November, had said the country was sliding into a one party state, stressing that a coalition of opposition parties was needed to rescue the country.
“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 All Progressives Congress (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. “
Gathered that Atiku, after his parley with Obi, which lasted for less than one hour, also met with former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa.
A source close to the former Anambra State governor said that the LP leader also met with the former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and former Senate president, Bukola Saraki. Lamido and Saraki are members of the PDP.
However, it was known that if the meetings have anything to do with the 2027 general elections, the source said: “It is just about the state of the nation.”
Atiku and Obi had contested the 2019 elections as PDP presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively. However, they lost to former president, Muhammadu Buhari, who was the APC’s candidate in the 2019 presidential poll.
In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, the former Anambra governor dumped the PDP for the LP, on which platform he contested the last presidential poll.
