2027 Presidency: Atiku, Obi too deep in race to step down for each other — Sani

Jeremiah Adeshina

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has ruled out the possibility of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi stepping down for each other ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Sani said the possibility of the two major opposition figures agreeing to sacrifice their presidential ambitions had become increasingly difficult, arguing that both politicians had already established political structures, mobilised supporters and advanced significantly in their preparations for the election.

The former lawmaker made the remarks on Tuesday while appearing as a guest on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.

His comments came amid renewed efforts by opposition political parties and groups to forge a broad coalition capable of challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.

Sani argued that the opposition had waited too long to resolve its internal differences and agree on a single presidential candidate.

According to him, the political calculations would have been easier if the various opposition interests had negotiated a common candidate much earlier, particularly when some of the major actors were still operating within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“These are decisions they ought to have taken before now,” Sani said.

He maintained that the situation had become more complicated because the major political actors had already taken firm positions and begun building their individual campaigns.

“ Atiku can’t step down for Peter Obi, and Peter Obi to step down for Atiku,” he said.

Sani pointed specifically to Atiku’s choice of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate, saying the development had further entrenched the former vice president’s presidential ticket.

“Atiku has already picked his vice-president, which is Rotimi Amaechi,” he said.

He also noted that Obi had already emerged as a presidential candidate and was mobilising supporters around his own political platform, making it difficult for either of the two politicians to abandon his ambition in favour of the other.

Sani said the opposition would have been in a stronger position to challenge Tinubu if its leading figures had demonstrated greater willingness to compromise at an earlier stage.

“If they were able to work that out when they were all in ADC, that would have been better for them,” he said.

The former senator argued that the opposition leaders had already invested considerable political capital in their respective presidential ambitions.

He noted that the different political camps had mobilised supporters, produced campaign materials and begun preparations for the 2027 election, making a last-minute agreement on a single candidate increasingly unrealistic.

“If they couldn’t put their house in order when they were all in ADC, is it now that everyone has taken position, has mobilised his people, printed his posters and billboards, and the names are in INEC and have been documented that you’re talking of one candidate?” he asked.

Sani, however, said the opposition leaders could continue to meet and negotiate, although he expressed doubts that such discussions would result in a breakthrough.

He argued that the central problem was not a lack of meetings but the unwillingness of the major presidential contenders to sacrifice their individual ambitions.

“If Atiku were interested in one candidate, he would have dropped down for Peter Obi. If Peter Obi was interested in one candidate, he would have dropped down for Atiku,” Sani said.

APC’s 2015 strategy

Sani recalled that the APC had faced a similar challenge ahead of the 2015 presidential election but successfully brought different political interests together behind Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the willingness of various political actors to sacrifice their individual ambitions helped the opposition coalition defeat then-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“That was what APC did in 2014. Everyone sacrificed ambition and rallied around Buhari, and then Buhari defeated Jonathan,” he said.

He said the present situation was different because the major opposition figures appeared more committed to their individual presidential ambitions.

Sani also identified regional considerations as another major obstacle to the emergence of a consensus candidate among the opposition.

He noted that Atiku, as a northern politician, would have to contend with expectations in parts of the country that the presidency should return to the South after President Tinubu’s tenure.

“This is the turn for the South to produce an eight-year president,” Sani said.
He argued that asking Atiku to step aside in favour of Obi could provoke resistance among supporters of the former vice president in the North.

Similarly, he said asking Obi to abandon his presidential ambition in favour of Atiku could alienate supporters who believe that the South should produce the next president.

Opposition coalition

Sani’s comments came as opposition parties and political groups continue to explore different forms of collaboration ahead of the 2027 general election.

The African Action Congress (AAC), Accord Party and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have also announced the formation of a coalition known as the Movement for Democratic Renewal (MDR).

The coalition, which emerged from a strategic summit in Port Harcourt, brings together political interests associated with the 2023 presidential candidates of the three parties, including Omoyele Sowore of the AAC, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim of Accord and Adewole Adebayo of the SDP.

The coalition has positioned itself as an opposition platform seeking to provide an alternative to the APC and prevent what its members describe as a drift towards a one-party political system.

The group has said it intends to mobilise civil society organisations, youth groups and labour interests across regional lines, while consultations continue on its political structure and possible presidential ticket.

The emerging alliance is part of wider efforts by opposition politicians to create a stronger platform ahead of 2027.

However, Sani’s assessment suggests that achieving a single presidential ticket involving the country’s biggest opposition figures could prove difficult because of the competing interests, political structures and regional calculations surrounding the election.

He maintained that political alliances are most effective when negotiated early enough to allow all parties to make meaningful compromises.

For now, he said, Atiku and Obi appeared too deeply invested in their respective presidential ambitions to simply step aside for each other.

While opposition leaders may continue their negotiations, Sani’s position is that the window for an easy consensus arrangement has largely narrowed, leaving the opposition with the challenge of determining whether it can still build a sufficiently broad alliance to mount a serious challenge to Tinubu and the APC in 2027.