On Tuesday, the All Progressives Congress dismissed the potential merger discussion between Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election and Peter Obi, the flag-bearer of the Labour Party, describing them as desperate politicians.
The ruling party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, confidently stated in Abuja that the meeting between the two opposition candidates would not lead to anything, as they believed it was driven by a mutual desperation to prevent President Bola Tinubu from returning to office in 2027.
Obi reportedly visited Atiku at his Abuja residence on May 13, where the duo had a private meeting and photos from the visit went viral on social media. Atiku later shared this on his X handle, mentioning, “It was my honor and privilege to host #PeterObi today."
Also on the same day, Obi met with two PDP chieftains, including the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.
During the lead-up to the 2023 election, Obi switched from the PDP to the Labour Party and emerged as the standard-bearer, while Atiku ran for the election under the PDP banner. President Tinubu of the APC emerged victorious over the two.
Following the Supreme Court's validation of Tinubu's victory in the 2023 election, Atiku urged major opposition parties to come together, declaring his readiness to lead a coalition against Tinubu in 2027.
Morka acknowledged that the planned coalition had further fueled speculations of a potential alliance between both men and their political parties ahead of 2027.
However, the APC spokesman insisted that it remained uncertain if Obi would consider returning to PDP or if Atiku would be willing to leave his party for "rehabilitation" in Obi's Labour Party.
