₦airaland Forum

The name Atiku Abubakar has been at the top level of Nigerian politics since I was a kid running around in shorts in the neighbourhood, kicking balls. There was always the rumour of his presidential ambition. Today, I have a kid kicking balls around, and Atiku is still chasing his presidential dream at age 79. It is funny how time flies. If Atiku’s interest in the presidency were being fuelled by a personal motivational speaker, I am sure that person would have run out of words over the years. Atiku’s presidential ambition has become an indirect impediment to Nigeria’s progress. Over the years, he has criss-crossed political parties within his reach in pursuit of that dream.

According to his Wikipedia page, Atiku ran unsuccessfully for President of Nigeria six times: in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. He ran in the Social Democratic Party presidential primaries in 1993 but lost to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. He was the presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 election, finishing third behind Umaru Yar'Adua of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP. He contested the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential primaries in 2011, losing to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2014, he joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 election and contested the primaries, losing to the late Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, he returned to the People's Democratic Party and became its presidential candidate in 2019, again losing to Buhari. In May 2022, he was chosen as the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general election after defeating Nyesom Wike, the former Governor of Rivers State, in the primaries. He came second in the general election, losing to Bola Tinubu, although he joined other opposition candidates in demanding a revote. In 2025, Abubakar left the PDP to join the African Democratic Congress, alongside his former rival, Peter Obi.

Atiku’s popularity peaked in 2019 when he contested against the late Muhammadu Buhari, with Peter Obi as his running mate. Atiku lost the election, but his performance was impressive. Many believed he could have won if the “federal might” factor had been absent. After 2019, Atiku became, in my view, a disruptive force in Nigerian politics. He is a variant that mainly affects opposition parties. He has become a stumbling block that undermines the potency of the ballot box and complicates the chances of peaceful regime change. In the 2023 general election, Atiku arguably helped Bola Ahmed Tinubu win. It was almost as if he were an All Progressives Congress undercover agent. He contributed to the implosion of the then-leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A master of party politics, Atiku executed a plan to take control of the PDP leadership structure and secure the presidential ticket. His plan worked, but it infuriated party leaders such as the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Peter Obi, who also sought the party’s ticket. Wike remained in the party and allegedly undermined it by supporting Tinubu, while Obi defected to the Labour Party, where he gained momentum and national popularity.

Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes; Atiku had 6,984,520, and Obi secured 6,101,533. If both opposition camps had united, Tinubu might not have become president. After the election, I expected Atiku to step aside or abandon his presidential ambition. However, he remains active and is reportedly positioning himself to run again in 2027 against Tinubu, arguably at the expense of Peter Obi.

Atiku and Obi are now both members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). As expected, Atiku is seeking to be the party’s flagbearer. Obi is also interested, although he has admitted he might not secure the ticket, likely due to strong competition from Atiku and others. In my view, Atiku stands little chance against Tinubu, who reportedly has the backing of about 32 state governors. Obi, however, could stand a better chance, especially if his rumoured alliance with former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso materialises. The crowd they recently drew at a public appearance was significant and appeared to have caught Tinubu’s attention.

Ultimately, Obi’s fate is tied to Atiku’s decisions. The irony is that both men can hardly thrive politically within the same space. For Obi to truly rise, Atiku may need to step aside. Whether he will make that sacrifice for the future of Nigeria remains uncertain, but it would be surprising if he did.

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Atiku is not blocking the demented Peter Obi from becoming President. Rather it is the agulu thief who came to ADC to look for Atiku's trouble after destroying LP in typical fashion.

It's actually obi blocking atiku's path...


In the last election atiku came second and obi 3rd isn't it?


Isn't obi also a serial decampee at the Verge of another decampment?

If anyone is blocking anyone's path it's obi doing the blocking.

Or I'm I lying?

Dumb. It's like saying Tinubu is blocking Obi's chances of winning the election by contesting. Atiku is an aspirant, just like Obi, Amaechi, Tinubu and other contestants are. He owes Obi nothing! Stop begging for the ticket to be served to you on a plate. It sounds pathetic.

Peter Obi has been the one sabotaging Atiku Abubakar from achieving his long held goal of ruling the country. Peter Obi is the weapon fashioned against Atiku and he will continue to be the nemesis of the former vice president. Now he has started working with Kwankwaso to finally cage Atiku.

Olusegun Obasanjo is a master strategist.

Peter obi want to be president yet he is scared of ordinary primaries election with ATIKU, ameachi and others

So you mean the same Atiku who brought Obi into national prominence is now the one standing in his way? Without Atiku choosing him as a running mate in 2019, who even knew him on that scale?

This is nothing more than a display of shallow thinking by people who seem determined to parade their ignorance without restraint.

Is it that the Obidients are not learning a thing from the past. Your group is the last to use blackmailing tactics as everyone is aware of your group about that.

Change your tactics. Only a failure blame others for his misfortune

AMINDA:
Dumb. It's like saying Tinubu is blocking Obi's chances of winning the election by contesting. Atiku is an aspirant, just like Obi, Amaechi, Tinubu and other contestants are. He owes Obi nothing! Stop begging for the ticket to be served to you on a plate. It sounds pathetic.

Its because they know the truth ADC= ATIKU.

Atiku is not blocking Obi. In politics everyone must fight for their position. Obi's strategy is to find a party where he will not have any opposition. Obi has less than 10 months to find a party and get going for 2027 but he's still not settled anywhere. The excuse of 2023 would not work now. Man had 4 years to prepare and he's still trying to blackmail Atiku and others to step down for him.

lionshare:
Its because they know the truth ADC= ATIKU.

So if the "truth" is already known, why dwell on it? I thought Tinubu has abolished delegates system? There is no longer the excuse of dollarization. Whoever wants their candidate to emerge should organise and register enmass on the party's website in preparation for the direct primaries.

8

Richtaiwo:
So you mean the same Atiku who brought Obi into national prominence is now the one standing in his way? Without Atiku choosing him as a running mate in 2019, who even knew him on that scale?

This is nothing more than a display of shallow thinking by people who seem determined to parade their ignorance without restraint.

Why did he not bring Ifeanyi Okowa into national prominence?!
Peter Obi gave Mikano massive political capital in 2019

AMINDA:
So if the "truth" is already known, why dwell on it? I thought Tinubu has abolished delegates system? There is no longer the excuse of dollarization. Whoever wants their candidate to emerge should organise and register enmass on the party's website in preparation for the direct primaries.

Because, as usual, they think they’re smarter than everyone else and try to cut corners to get ahead. But they forget that nature is the ultimate referee—“as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease.” You have to plant before you can harvest.

helinues:
Is it that the Obidients are not learning a thing from the past. Your group is the last to use blackmailing tactics as everyone is aware of your group about that.

Change your tactics. Only a failure blame others for his misfortune

Obidients.... go and form your own party and carry your baggage there. Stop squatting. Do not wait until it is too late.

Nobody forced obi to join Atiku ADC so no comment.

They are both the same. To me, they are not planners at all. You want to wrestle power, and all you can do is to be appealing to empathy, it means you are not ready. Power will be given to whoever is ready for it.

I expect the two of them to have come to a round table, have strategic plans on how to defeat the ruling parry. Unfortunately, they are both being controlled by personal ambition, making ways for Tinubu again.

I just wish there should be another competent person coming out apart from these big three, that Nigerians can vote for.

The wailing has started already.
You have forgotten that Atiku left PDP to form ADC a party practically owned by Atiku.
Obi ran from Labour Party to ADC,what do you people think is going to happen?
Some people will never have sense
Why can't Obi form his own party?
Even Dickson has formed his own party.

Ezewuzie01:
Atiku is not blocking the demented Peter Obi from becoming President. Rather it is the agulu thief who came to ADC to look for Atiku's trouble after destroying LP in typical fashion.

PO the Servant leader

Atiku blocking obi or obi blocking Atiku?

Truer truth was never told.

uche87:
The name Atiku Abubakar has been at the top level of Nigerian politics since I was a kid running around in shorts in the neighbourhood, kicking balls. There was always the rumour of his presidential ambition. Today, I have a kid kicking balls around, and Atiku is still chasing his presidential dream at age 79. It is funny how time flies. If Atiku’s interest in the presidency were being fuelled by a personal motivational speaker, I am sure that person would have run out of words over the years. Atiku’s presidential ambition has become an indirect impediment to Nigeria’s progress. Over the years, he has criss-crossed political parties within his reach in pursuit of that dream.

According to his Wikipedia page, Atiku ran unsuccessfully for President of Nigeria six times: in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023. He ran in the Social Democratic Party presidential primaries in 1993 but lost to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. He was the presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 election, finishing third behind Umaru Yar'Adua of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP. He contested the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential primaries in 2011, losing to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2014, he joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 election and contested the primaries, losing to the late Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, he returned to the People's Democratic Party and became its presidential candidate in 2019, again losing to Buhari. In May 2022, he was chosen as the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general election after defeating Nyesom Wike, the former Governor of Rivers State, in the primaries. He came second in the general election, losing to Bola Tinubu, although he joined other opposition candidates in demanding a revote. In 2025, Abubakar left the PDP to join the African Democratic Congress, alongside his former rival, Peter Obi.

Atiku’s popularity peaked in 2019 when he contested against the late Muhammadu Buhari, with Peter Obi as his running mate. Atiku lost the election, but his performance was impressive. Many believed he could have won if the “federal might” factor had been absent. After 2019, Atiku became, in my view, a disruptive force in Nigerian politics. He is a variant that mainly affects opposition parties. He has become a stumbling block that undermines the potency of the ballot box and complicates the chances of peaceful regime change. In the 2023 general election, Atiku arguably helped Bola Ahmed Tinubu win. It was almost as if he were an All Progressives Congress undercover agent. He contributed to the implosion of the then-leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A master of party politics, Atiku executed a plan to take control of the PDP leadership structure and secure the presidential ticket. His plan worked, but it infuriated party leaders such as the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Peter Obi, who also sought the party’s ticket. Wike remained in the party and allegedly undermined it by supporting Tinubu, while Obi defected to the Labour Party, where he gained momentum and national popularity.

Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes; Atiku had 6,984,520, and Obi secured 6,101,533. If both opposition camps had united, Tinubu might not have become president. After the election, I expected Atiku to step aside or abandon his presidential ambition. However, he remains active and is reportedly positioning himself to run again in 2027 against Tinubu, arguably at the expense of Peter Obi.

Atiku and Obi are now both members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). As expected, Atiku is seeking to be the party’s flagbearer. Obi is also interested, although he has admitted he might not secure the ticket, likely due to strong competition from Atiku and others. In my view, Atiku stands little chance against Tinubu, who reportedly has the backing of about 32 state governors. Obi, however, could stand a better chance, especially if his rumoured alliance with former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso materialises. The crowd they recently drew at a public appearance was significant and appeared to have caught Tinubu’s attention.

Ultimately, Obi’s fate is tied to Atiku’s decisions. The irony is that both men can hardly thrive politically within the same space. For Obi to truly rise, Atiku may need to step aside. Whether he will make that sacrifice for the future of Nigeria remains uncertain, but it would be surprising if he did.

https://www.facebook.com/thevillagetowncrier/posts/pfbid092eVmCyHRDWDnLLFHiBh62DZczRudAs3jzWz4r4mhrmGhmqmACVkV3Ym1aY5ZkUAl

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Uche, bring this post down.
If a man who claims to have won 2023 or came first in 2023 election is afraid of contesting in party primary election, then the man doesn't deserve our votes

brain54:
It's actually obi blocking atiku's path...
In the last election atiku came second and obi 3rd isn't it?
Isn't obi also a serial decampee at the Verge of another decampment?
If anyone is blocking anyone's path it's obi doing the blocking.
Or I'm I lying?

Me sef I wonder oh.
If Obidientts are logical, they would be doing forever restitution to Atiku and seeking forgiveness from Nigerians for making 2023 easier for Tinubu to have his turn at continuing APC extreme poverty shege he packaged as better change 11 years ago with the Buhari he called expired in 2011.

jameshankss:
Arguing that Obi’s presidential bid would only work in favour of Tinubu, Soludo said, “Indeed, if I were Asiwaju Tinubu, I would even give Peter Obi money as someone heading one of the departments of his campaign, because Obi is making Tinubu’s pathway to victory much easier by indirectly pulling down PDP.”

Obi, according to Soludo, would only deplete the votes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pave the path for an APC victory.

He stated, “The current fleeting frenzy, if not checked, will cost Ndigbo dearly for years. The South-east has the lowest number of votes of any region, but it is also the only region where the presidential race might be a four-way race (it is a two-way race in the other five regions) thereby, ensuring that our votes won’t count in the making of the next president of Nigeria.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/11/15/soludo-i-wont-succumb-to-bullies-obi-knows-he-cant-win/

Jokay07:
Uche, bring this post down.
If a man who claims to have won 2023 or came first in 2023 election is afraid of contesting in party primary election, then the man doesn't deserve our votes

Maybe he wants to play into the hands of Tinubu again like he did in 2023 when city boy's covert agent stepped down for him in communist LP labourers' camp.

Isn't it ironic that serial party hopper Utomi was the first candidate of ADC in 2007?

lexylaw40:
The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State, Tawfiq Akinwale, [/b]on Wednesday [b]stated that the “President-elect” Bola Tinubu asked popular economist, Prof Pat Utomi to step down for Peter Obi in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.

Akinwale made this revelation while he appeared as a guest on a radio programme on 101.7 YES FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, while alleging that Obi received campaign funds from Utomi, whom he described as Tinubu's "son."

The LP aspirant, who spoke in Yoruba language, said "In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Obi who had purchased the nomination form of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suddenly announced his exit from the party.

"Initially, Pat Utomi had secured the LP's presidential ticket, but when Peter Obi said he resigned from the PDP and joined the LP. Bola Tinubu, a master political strategist, quickly told Utomi, that everyone knows to be his son to step down for Obi.

"The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

"What Peter Obi didn't know is much more that what he knows, he started collecting campaign funds from Utomi, while Tinubu was giving the money to Utomi.

"This went on until Obi's presidential campaign got to a stage it went beyond target. Obi was used without him knowing," Akinwale said after announcing his departure from the party.

Obi defected to the LP after resigning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and also withdrawing from the presidential race under the party.

The former governor consequently joined the race for the party’s presidential ticket, while Professor Pat Utomi, in June 2022 stepped down for him to emerge as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, unopposed in Asaba, Delta State.

https://saharareporters.com/2023/05/24/how-president-elect-tinubu-funded-peter-obis-campaign-reduce-winning-chances-atiku-oyo

btaliat:
They are both the same. To me, they are not planners at all. You want to wrestle power, and all you can do is to be appealing to empathy, it means you are not ready. Power will be given to whoever is ready for it.

I expect the two of them to have come to a round table, have strategic plans on how to defeat the ruling parry. Unfortunately, they are both being controlled by personal ambition, making ways for Tinubu again.

I just wish there should be another competent person coming out apart from these big three, that Nigerians can vote for.

If you don't just wish to pass exams and get a job but you studied hard, then why are you just wishing for another competent presidential candidate?

Do you also just wish for competent candidates to vote for as your senator, representative, state lawmaker, governor, LGA councillor and chairman

If all you do is wish, then who do you expect to work for what you desire? How much will you pay the person for that work?

yarimo:
Peter obi want to be president yet he is scared of ordinary primaries election with ATIKU, ameachi and others

Tinubu must debate his fellow contestants in the coming presidential election. He must personally defend his stewardship before Nigerians. Joe Biden did, Trump did, or is he secretly begging Nasiru El-Rufai in DSS detention for a Chatham House encore?.

The man was a king in LP, but chose to leave and become a commoner in ADC.

You don't know the value of what you have until it's gone

anonimi:
If you don't just wish to pass exams and get a job but you studied hard, then why are you just wishing for another competent presidential candidate?

Do you also just wish for competent candidates to vote for as your senator, representative, state lawmaker, governor, LGA councillor and chairman

If all you do is wish, then who do you expect to work for what you desire? How much will you pay the person for that work?

Obviously, you are getting me wrong. I am not saying they are not competent. I am saying they are not strategic. The methods they are using ( wishing people will surely vote for them because of the current situation of Nigeria) cannot really with here. Majority of voters are not politically enlightened and poverty has been weaponised against them.

Ezewuzie01:
Atiku is not blocking the demented Peter Obi from becoming President. Rather it is the agulu thief who came to ADC to look for Atiku's trouble after destroying LP in typical fashion.

God bless you for saying the truth.
Imagine the entitled mindset of Obi and his followers. Atiku cook soup finish for ADC, you want come chop the meat. Imagine the audacity.

The man who led his rise is now the blockade ? Ungrateful people