The former vice president Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi might have lost a golden chance to collectively rule Nigeria as president and vice president respectively. Their current political romance and friendship could have been better in 2022 and 2023. A golden opportunity might have been unfortunately lost.
In June or thereabout, there were reports that they would merge their forces to jointly fight the All Progressives Congress and take over Government in 2027 when Nigerians would go to poll to choose their leaders. Neither side denied the report and specifically Atiku said he wouldn’t mind working with anyone, of course he didn’t want to immediately mention Peter Obi.
Their relationship started in 2019 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented the two of them to slug it out with the immediate past president Muhammadu Buhari. They fought collectively, but their strength wasn’t enough to stop Buhari from getting second term. They lost the election and that ultimately ended their affairs.
Nigerians thought that they would come together again for the 2023 presidential election. When Peter Obi saw that he couldn’t wrest the ticket of the PDP from the stinkingly rich Adamawa indigene, he hurriedly left and used the platform of the Labour Party. He performed beyond expectation by coming third with more than five million votes, yet he failed in his bid to rule Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar came second just as he has been doing in either primary or general elections. But if both Atiku and Obi had worked together as they did in 2019, they would have convincingly defeated Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. The former Lagos State Governor had over eight million votes. A combination of Atiku’s and Obi’s tally would give at least twelve million votes.
The two men would continue to blame themselves for not unifying their forces to crush what they call bad governance in Nigeria. The crisis that rocked the PDP might not be enough to stop them from winning the 2023 presidential election. They seem to be up to something now.
Peter Obi was in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, to deliver a lecture at the American University of Nigeria (AUN). His former boss, Atiku owns the university. Obi, a very good and eloquent speaker, talked at length. But the politics should be understood by the analysts as it points to the next general elections.
The Labour Party candidate was also at Atiku’s home on Saturday for breakfast. It’s unusual to see the former Anambra State governor in another politician’s home for breakfast. The cameras were ready to take photos and videos, most of which have now gone viral. Atiku himself has uploaded a video on his Facebook page.
What will they produce now? Where are they heading to specifically? Is it not too late for them? Atiku Abubakar would be 81 by 2027. He will be too old to contest let alone to rule the country. He has not told Nigerians his mind, but he will be doing himself some disservice if he decides to throw his hat into the ring again.
And will Atiku back Obi for the job? It appears to be too late. Obi has become more controversial since the keenly contested election in 2023. Most of his comments, posts on social media have been scrutinized and tribal bigotry has been noticed. He has refused to condemn the activities of the notorious Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the southeastern region. His birthday wishes to General Yakubu Gowon generated uproar that the celebrant wouldn’t want.
Obi has also cast aspersions on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) all in his struggle for the top seat of the country. Does that mean their romance would produce nothing? It’s just a matter of time.
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