By Bayo Wahab

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has yet to announce his desire to join the 2027 presidential race. But political observers know for sure that the ex-vice president would rather run and lose than excuse himself from the race.

Atiku’s ultimate political goal is to become Nigeria’s president, and it is not surprising that his presidential ambition is older than Nigeria’s democracy.

After what appeared to be a failed attempt at galvanising opposition politicians to form a coalition to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027, Waziri Adamawa has cleared the air on the speculation that he might leave the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

In fact, his running mate in the 2023 election, Ifeanyi Okowa, following his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), recently affirmed that Atiku may dump the PDP.

Atiku’s recent flirtation with the idea of a mega-opposition coalition has his political ambition written all over it. His aggressive calls on opposition voices like Peter Obi to join the coalition suggested that the former Vice President may once again dump the PDP and elope with a new alliance like he did in February 2014.

Unfortunately, his coalition campaign fizzled almost as quickly as it started, as key stakeholders of his party, including governors and senators, distanced themselves from his coalition dance.

On Monday, May 7, Atiku declared that he’s not leaving the PDP, the party he once dumped for the APC in search of a presidential ticket.

So, as things stand, there’s no question about whether Atiku still wants to be president. That’s a given. The real question is: Is PDP still his best vehicle to take him to the Aso Rock?

The vehicle in perpetual crisis

Since the PDP lost power in 2015, the opposition party has not been a model of cohesion. These days, the party is more in the news for internal conflicts than for political strategy.

The PDP’s current crisis started in 2022, when the party couldn’t get its northern and southern stakeholders to agree on something as basic as zoning. That problem, compounded by the G5 rebellion — led by Nyesom Wike — against the party, was Atiku’s albatross.

As the 2027 election approaches, Atiku is ostensibly seeking a haven for his interests. Interestingly, his call for a coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) initially inspired hope as to whether it could birth the long-awaited alliance between the PDP, the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to unseat APC in 2027.

Could Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso finally work together like Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu did in 2013?

Apparently not.

Like the PDP, the Labour Party is already mired in leadership crisis, and it is losing the goodwill and support it garnered in 2023.

While Atiku is seriously positioning himself to run again, Peter Obi, who to a large extent has been the face of opposition, is not exactly itching to play second fiddle.

Kwankwaso, on his part, wants to be taken seriously and, given his huge following in Kano State, is unlikely to hand Atiku his political structure.

In the end, Atiku’s coalition call may have been less about unity and more about testing the waters.

One more time with PDP?

Despite its lingering crisis, the PDP remains the most viable opposition party with structures across the country. It may not be pretty, but it exists.

Atiku knows his worth, his recognition and networks run deep within the party. Many PDP members and stakeholders see him as the only one with the war chest and national spread to confront the APC machinery.

But this is also the same party where younger voices are growing restless. Many within the PDP believe it’s time to look beyond the septuagenarian, whose best political moments predate the introduction of mobile phones in Nigeria.

Will Atiku’s unrelenting ambition choke any real chance at renewal? Or will the party bow to ‘pressure’ and hand him the ticket again?

Joining the race again would be his seventh attempt. In truth, most of Atiku’s supporters, who are in their 30s and 40s, weren’t old enough to vote when he first contested for president.

As coalition talks fizzle out and opposition parties falter, the crisis-ridden PDP remains Atiku’s strongest platform. And for the PDP members who are tired of seeing his posters, the question they will be getting will be: Who else do we have?

Atiku remains PDP’s most visible, most moneyed, and most networked candidate. The ex-VP knows this, and you can’t fault him for sticking around because for every politician, nothing comes first but their interests.

Vanguard News