Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have urged party members and other opposition parties to join forces with them to form a coalition to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
The PDP leaders made the call during a meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
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The meeting, chaired by a former Senate President, David Mark, was attended by a former National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, and several former Governors, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Liyel Imoke ( Cross River),
Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi) and Gabriel Suswam (Benue).
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Former ministers such as Tom Ikimi, Josephine Anenih, Inna Ciroma, as well as former senator Ben Obi, serving senator, Abdul Ningi and former PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, were in attendance.
The meeting, chaired by Mr Mark and lasting for about three hours, was convened under the banner of “Concerned PDP Leaders” to discuss how to strengthen the coalition talks and bring the opposition parties together.
After the meeting, Mr Mark read a communiqué in which participants urged members of the PDP and other opposition parties, as well as patriotic Nigerians, to rally behind a common agenda to rescue the country from the APC-led government.
“The meeting encourages all well-meaning PDP Members and other patriotic Nigerians to join the coalition. All coalition partners must be united on the issues of NATIONAL UNITY, DEMOCRACY, NATIONAL SECURITY, NATIONAL ECONOMY, and the political will to stamp out corruption embedded in our institutions,” he said.
The leaders also urged coalition members to start preparing now to win both state and national elections in 2027, considering local and national differences.
“The coalition partners to work out the modalities of winning all elections taking into consideration local and national peculiarities.”
Other resolutions
The meeting described the APC government as a “national disaster” that failed to fulfil its promises and had, instead, deepened hardship for ordinary Nigerians.
“The APC government, which came into being on the false and evil propaganda, to save Nigeria from PDP, is now a disaster to our nation and therefore must be voted out of power. All indices of development that support the comfort and quality of lives of the citizens have collapsed, and life is now hell in Nigeria,” the communique said.
The political leaders lamented that the PDP itself had suffered serious internal damage due to the APC’s tactics of “threats, blackmail and patronage,” which allegedly caused defections.
“The PDP, which is organic with the discipline, capacity, and history to lead and save Nigeria, is now a shadow of its old self. The heatwave unleashed by the APC federal government through threats, blackmail and patronage has forced elected officers in government to abandon the PDP.”
The meeting comes a day after the PDP held its 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party headquarters.
During the meeting, the party affirmed Samuel Anyanwu as its national secretary.
Messrs Atiku, Mark and others qualified to attend the NEC meeting were absent.
They were, however, silent on whether they will leave PDP after Tuesday’s meeting on the proposed coalition.
Atiku’s intensified efforts on coalition
Atiku has been spearheading the coalition to challenge the APC in 2027. Many believed that the proposed coalition involved former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and a former governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Segun Sowunmi.
The former vice president has been reaching out to key political figures across party lines, and the coalition team has been holding a series of consultations, including a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: PDP warring groups resolve differences, commence NEC meeting
Atiku also held talks with Tim Smith, the acting Chief of the US Mission to Nigeria, where political developments and democratic stability were reportedly discussed.
However, there is a crack within Atiku’s own party, the PDP. The PDP governors have distanced themselves from the coalition, saying such a move could weaken the party’s unity and electoral strength.
The governors’ opposition to the coalition is being interpreted in some quarters as a direct challenge to Atiku’s political authority within the party.
Despite the challenges, the former vice president still believes that many Nigerians would join the movement.
Reports said he recently contacted Mr Obi to be his running mate in the 2027 general elections. The former LP candidate has since debunked the report.
Application for party registration
Members of the coalition recently applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register a new political party called All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
It is not clear, however, if INEC will register the association.
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