Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has revealed what he discussed with the United States Ambassador, Richard M. Mills Jr. during his visit to the envoy in Abuja on Tuesday.
Atiku was accompanied on the visit by some of his political associates, including former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke.
The former Vice-President took to his social media platforms to give hints about what he discussed with Mills.
Atiku said “This afternoon, I had the honor of leading a delegation on a courtesy visit to the United States Ambassador, Richard M. Mills Jr., in Abuja.
“Our discussion focused on strengthening the enduring partnership between Nigeria and the United States, particularly in the areas of advancing democracy, security, and promoting shared prosperity.”
2027 in focus for Atiku
Atiku who was the the PDP presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023 has been critical of reforms of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The former VP who who is now a member of African Democratic Congress (ADC), the platform adopted by coalition of opposition leaders to contest against Tinubu 2027 has also indicated that he will contest the presidency in the next general election.
Aside Atiku, others who have indicated interest contesting for the presidential ticket of ADC are former Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Rivers governor and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.
Atiku, not a breath of fresh air
But analysts have argued that the coalition is not providing anything new to Nigerians as most of its bigwigs have been in government one time or the other since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy.
For one, a former presidential media aide, Laolu Akande, argued that the party has failed to provide any compelling reason to convince Nigerians that if offers a credible alternative to the ruling APC.
He noted that the coalition is largely comprised of familiar political figures who are driven more by personal grievances than genuine national interest.
“I think the APC has better arrangements,” Akande said, emphasising that the coalition’s main goal appears to be ousting President Tinubu without offering concrete alternative to Nigerians.
He also queried the presence of those he called career politicians at the helm of the opposition movement, noting that they are unlikely to inspire public confidence.
Speculations are also rife that Obi may eventually dump the opposition coalition and probably fly the Labour Party’s presidential ticket as he did in 2023.