The current developments within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have fueled growing speculation that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, may eventually defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as part of efforts to pursue his presidential ambition in 2027.
According to The Sun, it was reported that despite denials from Atiku’s camp, where his media aide, Paul Ibe, insisted that the former Vice President had no such intention, some political analysts remain convinced that a defection could be imminent. They argue that Nigerian politicians rarely confirm defection plans until they are fully actualised.
This suspicion was reinforced by recent comments from Atiku’s 2023 running mate and former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Okowa was categorical in asserting that Atiku would also soon exit the PDP.
Observers have pointed out similar patterns in recent political events. For instance, just two months ago, there were rumors that Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, was preparing to join the APC. The speculations were denied at the time, with his Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, accusing the APC of wishful thinking. However, shortly after these denials, Oborevwori formally joined the ruling party.
Likewise, PDP insiders familiar with Atiku’s political strategies believe that if it becomes evident that he will not secure the PDP’s presidential ticket for 2027, the former Vice President, who hails from Adamawa State, will likely leave the party for another platform where his candidacy would be more viable.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party privy to the matter, who is also a former governor, while speaking on the condition of anonymity with The Sun reporter said that, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai had an agreement before politicians started defecting.
According to the former governor, he said that before the wave of defections, the original plan of the coalition group, was for the Peoples Democratic Party to produce Atiku Abubakar as candidate, SDP to produce Nasir El-Rufai as candidate, while Labour Party would also produce Peter Obi as her candidate. And in the end, the three parties would enter into what looked like the 1999 pact between the defunct All Peoples Party (APP), and the Alliance for Democracy (AD), where AD produced the presidential candidate, and the APP produced the running mate.
Further talking, he said, “We would look at the strengths of the presidential candidates, and pick one of them as the presidential flag bearer, and the second strongest as the running mate. The third person would now be compensated, politically.”
He however expressed doubt that the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), would be willing to yield their platform to either Atiku or El-Rufai. He warned that if this were to happen, it could create a significant problem. However, he also pointed out that in politics, 24 hours can be a long time, and with two years remaining, there was still ample time to strategize and perfect their plans.
Love Reading Authentic News Stories, Click The Button Below
