2027: Why Atiku Can’t Step Down To Form Coalition With Peter Obi – Umar Ardo

Political strategist and Convener of the League of Northern Democrats, Umar Ardo, has explained why he believes African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is unlikely to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race to form a joint ticket with Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television, Ardo said Atiku could step down without losing his existing support base, but argued that the former vice president was unlikely to make such a decision.

According to Ardo, Obi presents a different situation because, although the former Anambra State governor may be willing to withdraw from the contest, his supporters might not readily accept the decision or follow him into a coalition.

He identified the contrasting positions of both politicians and the reactions of their respective supporters as major obstacles to any potential alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Ardo said Atiku had the capacity to relinquish his ambition, but was unlikely to do so, while Obi might be more open to stepping aside but could struggle to convince his supporters to support such an arrangement.

He said, “My view is that Atiku does not have the propensity by himself to say, ‘I will step down.’ If he says so, he will not have a problem with his support base. But the issue is that he is highly unlikely to say that.

“Then Peter Obi has the propensity to say, ‘I will step down.’ But if he says so, he will not have his support base. He will not be able to carry his support base. His support base will not go with him.”

Ardo maintained that resolving these differences would be critical to achieving a successful political merger between the two opposition camps.

He, however, noted that even without a formal coalition, either Atiku or Obi could still pose a strong challenge to the incumbent in the 2027 election if they adopt the right political strategy.

“Unless we are able to resolve these two challenges, then I don’t see the fusing together being possible. However, even if they do not fuse together, individually, anyone of them has the capacity to upturn the order, depending on how he strategises himself,” he added.

Ardo further argued that both politicians could potentially defeat the incumbent independently, despite the uncertainty surrounding efforts to unite the opposition ahead of the election.