The media adviser to former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has disclosed that his principal does not necessarily have to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to work for the opposition coalition in the 2027 elections.
According to Ibe, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has set a precedent for such actions by working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Bola Tinubu while being a member of the opposition PDP.
Naijaonpoint reports that Atiku’s aide made the submission while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
He also described the Tinubu government as a civilian dictatorship, which is worse than the military dictatorship Nigeria experienced in the past.
He argued that what Atiku and other major opposition leaders are trying to achieve is to save the country from civilian dictatorship.
“Atiku Abubakar and other leaders are also once again being called upon to redeem Nigeria because what we are having right now is a civilian dictatorship.
“What we had then in 1996 and the rest of them, you know, was a military dictatorship, and these people are probably wearing ‘agbada’ and suit and all of that, but they are no different. They are even worse than the military dictatorship,” Ibe said.
Coalition Candidate
Regarding whether Atiku could emerge as the sole candidate of the coalition amid the issue of zoning, Ibe said that, for now, the coalition members and leaders are not focused on choosing a candidate.
“This coalition will stand to benefit from all of the experiences that he has had over the years. So, they are not focused on who will be the presidential candidate and all of that,” he said.
He also denounced submissions in certain quarters that Atiku is responsible for the crisis rocking the PDP because of his non-adherence to zoning rules in the party’s primary for the 2023 presidential election.
The media aide argued that Wike lost an open election to Atiku and thereafter chose to work against the PDP and its candidate.
He also accused the FCT Minister of scuttling efforts aimed at fixing the crisis in the PDP.