2027 presidency: Atiku, Peter Obi have learnt their lessons – Paul Ibe hints on merger

Paul Ibe, the spokesperson to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has said that his principal and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, have learnt their lessons in the last general election and would unite to kick out the “incompetent and clueless” administration of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ibe, a media to Atiku, said this as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.

Atiku and Obi scored over 12 million votes combined in the 2023 presidential election won by APC’s Bola Tinubu who got over eight million votes.

Obi, a frontline member of the PDP and a longtime ally of Atiku, left the PDP for LP prior to the 2023 general election, when it was clear he would not get the party’s ticket.

Analysts believe that with their combined efforts, either the PDP or the LP would have removed the APC from power.

However, Ibe said that Atiku and Obi have learnt their lessons and won’t allow a repeat of their mistake in 2023 going forward.

“Nigerians deserve better than what they are getting. It’s never been this bad in this country and there is no hope,” he said

“The truth of the matter is that Atiku Abubakar has promoted opposition parties to work together, to come together; that is the only way they can kick out this incompetent and clueless government. And I believe that discussions have been going on.

“Lessons have been learnt from 2023 by all parties including Atiku Abubakar and I believe that it is on the basis of the lessons that have been learnt that they are moving forward and having discussions.

“They have learnt that lesson and want to be united and go forward,” he stated.

He said for Atiku, “all options are on the table”, but refused to provide an answer to the question of whether the former Vice President would step down for Obi in the 2027 election.