Atiku is not interested in leaving PDP

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has made it clear he has no intentions of leaving the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) as rumoured.

The 77-year-old announced on Twitter on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 that a story alleging his departure from the party was "fabricated." The former presidential candidate noted instead that he's keen on a swift merger of opposition parties to win during the 2027 election.

Atiku finished second in the 2023 presidential election behind Bola Tinubu who won only 37% of the total votes. The result was blamed on the division among opposition parties as Peter Obi, who left the PDP ahead of the election, also won 25% of the votes, in third place behind Atiku's 29%.

"The urgency of this consolidation (merging opposition parties) cannot be overstated," Atiku tweeted on Tuesday.

The former Customs officer blamed the PDP exit rumours on The Nation, a publication whose ownership has been consistently linked to Tinubu. He told the president to instead face his job and move the country forward.

"Tinubu's relentless pursuit of personal agendas at the expense of national governance is glaring. His myopic focus on 2027 betrays a disregard for the pressing needs of the populace. It's high time he ceased his bumbling escapades and prioritised the welfare of the people," he said.

Atiku has been sniffing around the presidency for more than 30 years since he first contested in a presidential election primary for the infamous 1993 contest.

After serving as vice-president between 1999 and 2007, he was on the ballot as the candidate of the Action Congress (AC) for the 2007 presidential election, but finished third. He then lost in primary elections of the PDP in 2011 and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. He won the presidential ticket of the PDP in 2019 and 2023, but finished second at the general polls on both occasions.

He's already been rumoured to be considering another run for the office again in 2027.