Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reportedly offered Peter Obi, 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, the vice-presidential slot on a joint ticket for the 2027 general elections, with a promise to serve only one term.
Sources familiar with the coalition negotiations disclosed that Atiku and Obi met privately in the United Kingdom earlier this year, during which Atiku presented the proposal.
Insiders say Atiku assured Obi of a one-term presidency, pledging to hand over power to him afterward, in a bid to consolidate opposition efforts against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
Despite the proposal, those close to Obi say he is still consulting with his loyalists and political associates before making any formal decision.
This wouldn't mark the first political alliance between the two. In 2019, Obi served as Atiku’s running mate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
More recently, in March 2025, Atiku, Obi, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and other political heavyweights formed a broad opposition coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). That move rekindled speculations about a renewed Atiku-Obi partnership, though no concrete terms were revealed at the time.
A PDP source confirmed that consultations are ongoing to build consensus among party stakeholders, with a final decision expected before the May 2026 presidential primary deadline.
“But recent developments show that Obi has accepted to be Atiku’s running mate, and Atiku has also agreed to serve a single four-year term and hand over to the former Anambra State governor. They have both agreed to sign a written agreement if necessary. Obi is trying to get the buy-in of his loyalists before this is formally announced.”
Due to internal crises within both the PDP and Labour Party (LP), coalition leaders are reportedly considering moving the alliance to a neutral platform such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Meetings between coalition members and ADC leadership are ongoing.
“The crisis in PDP and LP is frustrating. While they are both making efforts and waiting to see if the crisis can be resolved in favour of their camps, they are both looking at possible political parties to run on.
“The Social Democratic Party was part of the plans before now, but it seems the ruling APC has also infiltrated the party. So, they are tilting towards the ADC. As a matter of fact, some of the loyalists have been meeting with the ADC leadership, and others have quietly joined the party. So, if things do not favour them in LP and PDP, they may join ADC,” the source said
Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, confirmed that coalition talks were ongoing but declined to offer details.
“I know that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have been talking about the coalition,” Ibe said. “I cannot speak on the specific agreement they have reached. All I can tell you is that both of them are focused on ensuring that they build a viable coalition that will be robust enough to accommodate diverse Nigerians to unseat the clueless APC government in 2027.”
Peter Ahmeh, a close associate of Obi and Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, also declined to confirm the running mate arrangement but stressed the need for unity.
“No comment on this one, until I speak with my oga,” Ahmeh said. “My position on this remains that, for us to defeat the APC, we must follow the rules of engagement so we don’t allow Tinubu to become the landlord in the southern part of Nigeria when we have somebody who can defeat him effortlessly.
“We are in the LP as we speak, and that is the option available to accommodate everyone because you cannot sleep in a hostile environment and expect to succeed.”
“We know there were hostile conditions created to undermine Peter Obi, but he is still in the Labour Party and is committed to making sure we get the APC out of government in 2027.
