Atiku Told to Drop Presidential Bid, Reminded of His Own Words to Jonathan

A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has urged the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and allow the South to complete what he described as its turn in the presidency under Nigeria’s zoning arrangement.

Okechukwu made the appeal on Sunday while reacting to comments by the Southern Political Progressive Amalgamation Forum (SPPA), which had advised Atiku to carefully consider his choice of running mate ahead of the 2027 general election in order to strengthen his support across the southern states.

Rejecting the group’s position, the former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) argued that the focus should not be on Atiku’s running mate but on preserving the zoning principle, which he said has helped maintain political balance and national unity.

According to him, pressure from groups promoting Atiku’s ambition contributed to the crisis that weakened the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“It was pressure from self-serving groups such as the Southern Political Progressive Amalgamation Forum that goaded His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to abandon the rotation convention, which led to our sister political party, PDP’s destabilisation,” Okechukwu said.

He appealed to the former vice president to return to the zoning convention, insisting that doing so would help strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and promote fairness among the country’s regions.

Okechukwu also reminded Atiku of comments he made during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan when he defended the zoning principle within the PDP.

Recalling Atiku’s position at the time, he quoted the former vice president as saying, “It is either President Jonathan is not a member of the PDP or is living in denial of the same principle of zoning which saw his emergence as Vice President in 2007.”

He argued that since Atiku had benefited from the zoning arrangement in the past, he should remain committed to the principle.

“As a beneficiary of the zoning arrangement, Atiku should uphold the principle and support its continued application in the interest of national cohesion, equity, and political stability,” Okechukwu stated.

Asked whether it was too late for Atiku to withdraw from the race, Okechukwu insisted that the former vice president still had time to change course.

“It is never too late to make amends; he should be a statesman, and instead of hurling blame and barbs at President Tinubu, he should use the few months left to forge a strong opposition,” he said.

Atiku emerged as the presidential candidate of the ADC for the 2027 general election after defeating former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen during the party’s presidential primary in May. Following the primary, Amaechi was named as Atiku’s running mate ahead of the election.

The former vice president is one of Nigeria’s longest-serving presidential contenders. He first contested for the presidency under the Action Congress (AC) in 2007, sought but failed to secure the PDP presidential ticket in 2011, lost the APC presidential primary before the 2015 election, and later emerged as the PDP’s presidential candidate in both the 2019 and 2023 elections.

In the 2019 election, Atiku was defeated by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Four years later, he mounted another strong challenge but lost to President Bola Tinubu in one of Nigeria’s closest presidential contests. Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku secured 6,984,520 votes and Peter Obi received 6,101,533 votes, making the 2023 election a tightly contested three-way race.

The 2027 presidential election is expected to be another keenly fought contest. Atiku and his running mate, Amaechi, will challenge President Tinubu, who is seeking a second term, while Peter Obi is contesting on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).