BREAKING: Atiku: Coalition Is Not About Me, It’s About Saving Nigeria From APC’s Misrule

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has rebuffed the party’s governors opposed to any coalition, stating that the coalition was a movement to save Nigeria from the misrule of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, likened the coalition to the G34 group that midwifed the PDP and eventually saw the return of the military to the barracks.

Atiku, who spoke through his spokesman, Paul Ibeh said, “the coalition is not about Atiku, it has gone beyond that. It is like the G34 movement that rescued Nigeria from long years of military rule. It is not a desperation on the side of Atiku.

‘’It is like the G34 where Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Abubakar Rimi, Francis Ellah, Sule Lamido stood their ground, insisting that Military rule in Nigeria must end.

‘’This movement, this time around is not about military rule, but the movement to save Nigeria from the misrule of the APC. The coalition is about Nigeria.

‘’The PDP governors no doubt are an important arm of the party, but when the push comes to shove, there will be alignments and realignment. When the time comes they will see the light and will join the band wagon,’’ Atiku’s aide stated.

But a former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has decried PDP’s current situation, saying Nigerians had completely lost confidence in the party.

Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Suswam said many people and stakeholders were no longer interested in the opposition party because of its lingering crisis and leadership failure.

“There are many fundamental problems in PDP and those problems have not been sorted out. So, a lot of people, in their minds are no longer in PDP, a lot of stakeholders and that’s because of the failure of leadership in PDP,” he stated.

He maintained that for the PDP to stand a chance in the 2027 presidential election, it has to fix its leadership problem and present a credible candidate. The ex-governor condemned the practice of giving the party’s presidential ticket to the highest bidder.

He stressed that the PDP, with its structure all over the country, should not be struggling to win elections.

“Two factors that can enhance PDP’s chances in the next election. The first is transparent leadership. People have lost confidence in PDP completely.

“This is a party that has structures all over the country, but because of a lack of good leadership, that has diminished substantially.

“The second issue is the candidate. When we talk about candidates, let us have people who have interests. It is not just about somebody sitting and saying I want to be presidential candidate of PDP, that will not suffice.”

On his part, Bode George, a chieftain of the party said if Atiku emerged the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, it would signify the end of the PDP in Nigerian politics.

George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, has said the opposition would collapse if former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar emerged as its 2027 presidential candidate.

Speaking on a Television programme, the PDP chieftain said, “If he (Atiku) picks it (PDP’s ticket), that is the end of this party. If he picks it by manipulation, which was what was done the last time, we will not accept it,” he said.

Atiku, who has been contesting for Nigeria’s president for over three decades, came second in the 2023 presidential election, defeated by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ahead of the 2027 election, Atiku has championed an inter-party alliance that birthed a coalition, which was announced on Thursday, March 20, 2025, as a springboard to wrest power from the Tinubu-led government.

The coalition, which included the Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai as arrowheads, was banking on the numerical strength of the votes Atiku and Obi recorded in the 2023 poll.

Speaking on a television programme, George praised the PDP governors for rejecting the coalition led by Atiku, saying Atiku has not shown himself to be a leader of the party because he has not made efforts to resolve the crisis rocking the party.

“No, if he is the leader of the party, he would have waded into it (the crisis). The fact that he was the presidential candidate of the party at the last election doesn’t mean he is a bona fide, fixated leader of the party. If he’s running for his private interest, it’s different from the interest of the party.

“He cannot be. This is what I am saying. There was eight years in the north, there should be eight years in the south. That is the dictate, that is the doctrine of the PDP. I can’t say he cannot contest; he can go to any party because it is his constitutional right but as far as we are concerned, he cannot be the candidate.”

George also said he didn’t want Tinubu to be re-elected in 2027, adding that he wanted his party to win the next election with a southern candidate.