Just In: Atiku to Dump PDP, Form Mega Party to Challenge Tinubu in 2027, Details Emerge

• Atiku Abubakar, the flagbearer of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, is reportedly planning to form a new party
• This is coming months after Atiku experienced a major loss in the 2023 election, as Bola Tinubu defeated him to emerge as Nigeria's 16th president
• The former vice president is reportedly planning to dump the PDP and form a new political party that would wrestle power with the ruling APC in the 2027 election

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, and other opposition figures in Nigeria are reportedly planning to form a new party to tackle the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.

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As reported by The Nation on Monday, March 11, sources disclosed that Atiku has set in motion the machinery for the proposed party in collaboration with some members of the National Assembly.

It was learnt that Atiku’s camp was wary of the disunity in the leading opposition party, thinking that should it persist till 2027, the PDP may not be able to wrest power from the ruling APC led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Abdullahi Ganduje.

A source said the former vice president has been consulting with the ex-Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, who contested for the Senate presidency and lost to Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) chairman, Abdul Ningi, may have also been recruited to serve as a foot soldier in the Senate to actualise the plan.

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Recall that Atiku slugged it out with President Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election but was defeated.

Why Atiku wants to form a new party

After losing to Tinubu, the source said Atiku and his allies were moving to form a mega party and wrestle power with the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.

He said:

“They have gone far in the arrangement. They believe that the country is in the same situation as it was in 2014 during the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s era, hence, their decision to form a mega party to wrest power from Tinubu.

“Ningi’s statement on the BBC Hausa Service was one of the moves of the promoters of the mega party. They want to create problems in the National Assembly and set the lawmakers against each other and the Presidency.”

2027: Is Atiku eligible to contest?

Meanwhile, there were mixed reactions within the PDP over the rumours that Atiku Abubakar might contest in the 2027 general election cycle.

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This development triggered concern about his age and fitness, which caused disparities amongst PDP chieftains.

Atiku would be 80 in 2027, and there have been calls from some quarters that he should allow the younger prospects to contest.

Source: Legit.ng