Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reaffirmed his commitment to forming a coalition of opposition parties to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election. Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, dismissed recent reports suggesting he was planning to leave the PDP.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Atiku’s media office described the reports as false and urged Nigerians to disregard them. The statement read, “We have observed that some news platforms are peddling unverified information that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party. We wish to clarify that the so-called news of Atiku defecting to another party is a total fallacy that holds no merit in logic.”
Coalition to Defeat APC
Atiku has been a vocal advocate for a united opposition, calling on political parties to work together to defeat the APC in the next election. His media office stressed that the coalition would include all opposition parties, including the PDP, and dismissed any claims that he was defecting to another party.
The statement continued, “It is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship. Such an allegation is antithetical to the objective of the grand coalition, which the former Vice President is currently driving alongside other prominent political leaders in the country.”
The statement further emphasized Atiku’s loyalty to the PDP, calling it the “main opposition party” and accusing those spreading defection rumors of trying to mislead Nigerians.
It further stated, “The defection claims are an attempt to confuse Nigerians about the magnitude of the grand coalition that is at work to rescue Nigeria from the grip of the APC.”
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2027 Presidential Ambition
Atiku’s renewed call for a coalition comes amid growing speculation about his political future. Some reports had suggested he was finalizing moves to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in preparation for the 2027 elections. However, his media team firmly denied these claims.
Atiku has contested for Nigeria’s presidency multiple times, and despite losing in 2023, he remains a key figure in the opposition. His push for a coalition signals a strategy to unify various political forces against the APC, which has held power since 2015.