Paul Ibe, the spokesman of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has said his principal and other political heavyweights like Peter Obi, and a former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, are in talks over plans to float a coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
He said this on Thursday while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today, confirming speculations of a planned coalition to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Well, you and I know that there have been ongoing discussions between Atiku Abubakar and some opposition leaders: Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai,” Ibe said on the show.
“Yes, it’s out there in the open. Discussion is still ongoing, and at the end of that discussion, they will come out with a position and the direction that we’re going to follow based on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.”
In 2019, Atiku and Obi contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the presidential election. The ex-vice president was the party’s candidate then.
Although they lost the election to Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), there have been speculations that both heavyweights will fly the same ticket in the next presidential election.
When asked if both men would be on the same ticket, Ibe said, “What I’m saying, in effect, is that that ticket was viable in 2019, and it’s still viable today.
“But it is left to the individuals to be able to come to a determination as to how they proceed. So, let us not go ahead of them. They are talking,” Ibe said.
Talks about a coalition have gained mileage in the country owing to what many attribute to the crisis rocking the major opposition PDP and other parties.
El-Rufai, who was a two-time governor of Kaduna State under the APC, left the party earlier in the year, citing several personal and political reasons. He teamed up with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a platform many touted to host the coalition.
Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has, however, downplayed talks about joining a coalition.
The former Anambra governor insists he is interested in a coalition against poverty and other vices affecting Nigeria.