ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf, has dismissed the likelihood of an alliance between the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar.
Speculation about a potential alliance between Obi, and Atiku, increased after a meeting between the two some weeks ago.
Obi served as Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election under the PDP before he joined LP ahead of the 2023 poll.
However, Yusuf does not foresee the two working together when Nigerians head to the ballot in 2027.
“They have worked together before in 2019. It would not be out of place if they work together again. I am not in their minds but I don’t see the possibility,” he said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
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According to him, Atiku’s comments after the meeting and other obstacles make an alliance between the two challenging.
“They met a few days ago and after the meeting, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came out to say he will continue to contest as long as he’s alive and healthy,” the former lawmaker insisted.
“To me, that was to send a signal to those, especially the media, who were running with the notion that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar might step down and shelve his political ambition for Peter. But the follow-up statement a week later clarified that.”
He believes both men may run in the 2027 election, making merger talks difficult.
A spokesman for the Obi-Datti campaign council in the 2023 election, Yunusa Tanko also commented on the show, stating that his principal is only interested in a merger that will improve the country.
“His Excellency, Peter Gregory, is not interested in a merger that is only for the interest of seeking power. He is interested in a merger that will bring Nigerians out of the poverty level, bringing the Nigerian people to a comfortable state of health care,” Tanko said.
“Making sure Nigerians have potable drinking water; making sure the problem of power supply is being solved.
“So, therefore, he is interested strongly in a merger that is driven by ideology and a programme. But if it’s only for the purpose of power, he is not interested.”