Supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have reacted to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his vow not to step aside for any aspirant in his quest to secure the African Democratic Congress ticket for the 2027 presidential race.
The Obidient Movement, Obi’s followership, dismissed Atiku’s posture as “mind games,” insisting their principal would never be caught in the murky politics of vote-buying or dollarised delegate inducement that dominate Nigeria’s political parties’ primaries.
Speaking with reporters, the National Coordinator of the group and Obi’s former campaign spokesman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said Obi’s political ideology stood in sharp contrast to the transactional politics that other politicians had normalised.
He said, “I’m happy Atiku is saying what he has in mind. It shows there’s something we can hold him accountable for. But Peter Obi is willing to bring new political ideology into the system.
“I can say it authoritatively that an Obi will never go into a primary election where he has to buy out the delegates. We know that is the norm in other camps.
“It is a fact that in Nigeria of today, delegates in every primary are being purchased. It is even in dollars and not naira. And for those of us who want to give hope to the younger generation, who may not have stolen or received so much money from governors’ purses, how do you encourage them?”
Atiku had on Wednesday in an interview with BBC Hausa said he was prepared to contest ADC presidential primaries but would step aside if a younger aspirant defeated him.
The former VP said it was still premature to speak on whether he would be on the ballot in 2027.
“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following,” Atiku said when asked if he would run.
“If I run for office, and a young man defeats me, I will accept that. The party we have joined now prioritises youth and women,” he added.
When asked if there were suspicions that he could abandon the ADC later, Atiku dismissed such insinuations.
