…The Train Has Left the Station
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has restated his commitment to rallying opposition forces under a single coalition to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku made this declaration on Tuesday in a meeting with a delegation of National Opinion Leaders, saying the search for a credible platform to deliver good governance is already in motion.
Speaking in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Atiku assured that the coalition “Train has left the station” and would make “Multiple stops” to accommodate Nigerians from diverse political and social backgrounds.
His renewed push for opposition unity comes on the heels of the PDP Governors’ Forum distancing itself from any coalition or merger talks after their meeting in Ibadan on Monday.
It could be recalled that in March, Atiku had formally unveiled plans for a grand alliance of opposition parties aimed at challenging President Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
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Present at that announcement were prominent political figures, including Dr Yunusa Tanko, who represented Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Atiku’s recent political consultations have also included a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna, raising speculations about a broader realignment ahead of the 2027 race.
Despite the PDP Governors’ Forum distancing itself from the proposed coalition, the governors maintained that the party remains open to welcoming new members and allies willing to join the push to “wrest power and enthrone good leadership in 2027.”
Addressing the youth-heavy delegation on Tuesday, Atiku urged them to stay focused and resist the temptation of short-term incentives.
“Don’t be disrupted by people giving you pennies or kobos here and there, and nairas here and there, and then abandon your future, and the future of your children,” he warned.
Speaking further, Atiku said the new alliance, which he described in Hausa as Sabuwar Tafiya (New Path), is designed to offer Nigerians an alternative to the current political structure.
“We have been meeting, and by the grace of God, very soon we will announce, and we hope and we appeal to you all to be part of this movement,” he said.
Atiku stressed that the coalition’s primary goal is to ensure good governance, adding: “Whatever vehicle that will give us good governance in the future of our children and grandchildren, that is the vehicle we are going to ride on.”
He urged the delegation to begin grassroots mobilisation ahead of the formal unveiling of the alliance.
“Get to planning and working together and getting as many Nigerians as possible to get converted to this new pathway,” he added.
