Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s bloc of the African Democratic Party has begun to shop for a politician from the southern part of the country as a running mate in the 2027 election, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

The bloc is said to be looking in the direction of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.

Our correspondents gathered that should Obi decline to run with the former VP, Atiku would look in the direction of a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.

Speaking with one of our correspondents on Saturday, a political ally of Atiku, Mr Dele Momodu, urged Obi to join forces with Atiku to unseat President Bola Tinubu

Momodu described Atiku and Obi as the strongest potential alliance capable of ending the hold of the All Progressives Congress on power.

Recall that both men ran on a joint Peoples Democratic Party ticket in the 2019 election but lost to then-incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2023, they ran separately—Atiku on the PDP platform and Obi on the LP structure, but lost to Tinubu.

With Atiku now registered as a member of the ADC and Obi still in LP, Momodu believes the two must close ranks ahead of 2027.

Momodu blamed the reluctance of both men to agree to work together on Obi’s supporters.

“That is why they are trying to make every party have only southern candidates. They don’t want any strong opposition from the opposite direction (North). There is no way any Southern candidate can defeat Tinubu.

“I have said this to Peter Obi. We have met several times in my houses in Lagos and Ghana. If Peter Obi does not take advantage of a ready-made union between him and Atiku, it would be very unfortunate. It would be as good as working for Tinubu to come back,” he added.

Warning that delay could cost Obi a major political opportunity, Momodu said Atiku may settle for Amaechi as his running mate.

“A lot of people are underrating Amaechi. Amaechi single-handedly handed power to Buhari. What the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, is doing now, though in an unruly manner, Amaechi did quite well when he was governor of Rivers State. Amaechi mobilised more than any other person for Buhari, even more than Tinubu. If Obi does not make up his mind or chooses to run alone, then I believe the mantle might fall on Rotimi Amaechi.”

On efforts to reconcile both men politically, Momodu said, “I have told Obi. There is no time.

“The person you want to dislodge is already a President. He has everything. He is either coercing or cajoling the governors and senators to join him. He wants to present a false alibi that everybody loves him. He knows what he is doing.

“He wants to create a false image of someone who cannot be defeated, so that when they succeed at doing their manipulation, they will say, ‘what did you expect?’

“Despite all their shenanigans in 2023, they lost Lagos to Obi. They lost Osun to Gov Ademola Adeleke. Obi needs to make up his mind. For now, I don’t know his party. PDP is crumbling, LP has crumbled. Where does he want to go?”

According to Momodu, Atiku and Obi still communicate frequently.

Obi ready to run again — Obidient Movement

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement and spokesman for Obi, Mr Yunusa Tanko, reaffirmed Obi’s readiness to contest the presidency in 2027.

Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, Tanko called for clarity from Atiku’s camp on what they expected from the former Anambra State governor.

Suggesting that a joint ticket with Atiku might not be feasible, Tanko said a strong Southern candidate remained the best path to defeating Tinubu.

He said, “It all depends on what terms they want Obi to team up with them. At the moment, we are looking for a leader who has the capacity to move around the country to deal with the issues.

“Nigerians need a president who has the mobility and depth in knowing what is wrong with the country. When we team up together, there must be a dimension to what exactly we are doing together. If that is a discussion on the table, then we can begin to talk.

“To secure Nigeria, we need a capable leader who has the ability to fix things. Obi has these qualities. We must understand that the Presidency is already in the South. We need to give support to Mr Peter Obi to complete the four years of the South. This is the continuation we need this time.”

Tanko added that Obi was committed to a single term if elected.

Amaechi interested in ADC ticket –aide

One of Amaechi’s principal aides, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said the ex-minister was committed to securing the presidential ticket of the ADC.

He, however, noted that many considerations might arise before the party’s primary elections, adding that discussion about the vice presidential offer was not yet ripe.

He said, “ADC is eyeing bloc votes from the north, and for them to get that, it would be better to run a candidate from the area. Amaechi’s eye is on the presidential ticket. But politics is dynamic; a lot will change as we approach the primary. Discussion about the presidential ticket is not yet ripe. Let’s wait.”

However, an ally of the former governor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We need to calculate well because we have to be honest with ourselves: can Amaechi beat Atiku in the primary? If that is not a possibility, going for a deal before the primary may not be bad. Accepting Atiku’s running mate position may not be a bad idea. There will be too many brushes after the primary, so it is better to have a deal before the primary.”

He continued, “With what you’re seeing, will Obi run the primary against Atiku in the ADC? And if he can’t get the ADC ticket, I don’t see him as somebody who will accept a running mate slot. That is why he is delaying his move to join the party. But we will have a better picture next year, and Amaechi is the best option for Atiku as running mate.”

Amaechi’s media aide, David Iyofor, declined to comment on the matter when contacted.

Neither Amaechi nor Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC were available for comment when our correspondents contacted them on the phone. (Sunday PUNCH, excluding headline)

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