ABUJA: Supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have dismissed ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s comments on the 2027 race, insisting their principal will never participate in dollarised primaries.
Atiku, who recently declared interest in contesting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket, told BBC Hausa that he would remain in the race but could step aside if a younger aspirant defeated him.
But the Obidient Movement branded his remarks as political mind games. National Coordinator of the group and Obi’s ex-campaign spokesman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said Obi’s politics was the opposite of the transactional style that has defined Nigeria’s primaries.
Peter Obi will never go into a primary election where he has to buy delegates. It is a fact that in Nigeria today, delegates are purchased sometimes even in dollars, not naira, Tanko said.
For those of us who want to give hope to the younger generation, people who don’t have access to stolen funds we must offer an alternative.
The backlash followed widespread debate on Atiku’s interview. While some Nigerians urged him to step aside for a younger candidate, others, including former Kaduna senator Shehu Sani, warned that defeating Atiku at party primaries would be nearly impossible.
Sani quipped on X: It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to beat the Waziri in primaries. Party delegates are a special breed of people.
Hours later, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, clarified that the former VP never said he would step down, only that he would support any young aspirant who legitimately won a primary contest.
The ADC, unveiled in July as an opposition coalition platform ahead of 2027, has been wooing key figures such as Obi, Atiku, and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
While some politicians have joined, both Obi and El-Rufai remain in their parties, despite being linked to the coalition.
Obi has maintained he will not be rushed into leaving the Labour Party, stressing he would only make such a move on his own terms.
