Atiku Dismisses Defection Rumours, Confirms Coalition Talks with Obi, El-Rufai

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has dismissed speculations suggesting he plans to dump the party.

Rumours of the former Vice President leaving the party surfaced when it was reported that opposition parties, currently in talks for a coalition, were adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

His media aide, Paul Ibe, made the clarification on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired Thursday evening.

“My principal has said that he wasn’t leaving the PDP and you have to respect what he has said. I don’t need to come here to speak about it. It is an issue he has spoken of,” Ibe stated.

He also confirmed that Atiku is actively engaged in talks with key opposition figures, including Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently ditched the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

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“There is an ongoing discussion between Atiku Abubakar and some opposition leaders like Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai. Yes, it’s out there in the open. Discussion is still ongoing… they will come out with a position and a direction that we’re going to follow based on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians,” Ibe added.

This development comes amid a wave of defections from the PDP and the Labour Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which on Thursday endorsed President Bola Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.