Datti: Atiku could have secured 2027 presidency by backing Obi in 2023

Datti Baba-Ahmed, a former Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate,  has stirred fresh debate over opposition politics in Nigeria, declaring that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar missed a historic opportunity to position himself for the presidency by refusing to support Peter Obi in the 2023 election.

According to Baba-Ahmed, a united opposition behind Obi would have altered Nigeria’s political trajectory and potentially cleared the path for Atiku to emerge as a consensus candidate in 2027.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Baba-Ahmed said Atiku could have replicated the coalition-building strategy often associated with President Bola Tinubu by backing younger political actors in 2023 and waiting for his turn in the next election cycle.

He argued that had Atiku invited Obi and himself to support a single opposition ticket, he would have willingly stepped aside in 2027 and encouraged Obi to do the same in favour of Atiku.

“If in the 2023 election he had surprised everyone and supported Obi, I would have agreed to step down in 2027 and would have persuaded Obi to do the same. Atiku would have become the 2027 president of Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed said.

The comments come amid growing turmoil across opposition parties, with both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) grappling with internal disputes that threaten their cohesion ahead of future elections.

In the PDP, the Board of Trustees (BoT), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, has instituted a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking recognition of an interim National Working Committee (NWC).

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026 and filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks an order compelling INEC to update its records and publish the names of party officials submitted by the BoT and the National Executive Committee (NEC). The names of the Tanimu Turaki-led NWC were reportedly forwarded to the electoral commission on May 4, 2026.

Among the plaintiffs are Wabara, former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, PDP chieftain Olabode George, former Women Affairs Ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, as well as Esther Uduehi.

The legal action follows a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, which overturned key aspects of a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Ibadan that had recognised a factional PDP caretaker committee. The appellate court held that the lower court granted relief that was not sought by any of the parties involved in the case.

Meanwhile, a fresh controversy has erupted within the NDC following allegations that former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is attempting to dominate the party’s structure and candidate-selection process in Kano State.

The allegations were made by NDC North-West Vice Chairman Mohammed Serina and Kano State Chairman Hussaini Mariga, who warned that the dispute could undermine the party’s unity and credibility ahead of future elections. According to Serina, tensions emerged following Kwankwaso’s integration into the party despite efforts by National Leader Henry Seriake Dickson to encourage collaboration among stakeholders.

Adding to the party’s challenges, former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Sam Amadi, accused some NDC officials in Imo State of engaging in ticket racketeering during the party’s recent primary election.

Amadi alleged that aspirants paid money to party officials in exchange for nomination tickets that were never delivered. He said several affected aspirants had approached him with complaints and called on those who made unofficial payments to come forward, pledging to assist them in recovering their funds.

The developments underscore the deepening fractures within Nigeria’s opposition landscape, raising fresh questions about the ability of opposition parties to build the unity and credibility needed to mount a formidable challenge in future elections.