Atiku should step aside for Kwankwaso ahead of 2027, says Ondo NNPP chairman

Peter Olagookun, chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ondo, says the planned coalition by opposition leaders can only succeed in ousting the ruling party if key players form a united front.

Speaking in an interview with NAN on Thursday in Akure, Ondo state capital, Olagookun said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar should step aside for Rabiu Kwankwaso in the 2027 elections.

Kwankwaso, Abubakar, and Peter Obi were the presidential candidates of the NNPP, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP), respectively in the 2023 presidential election.

They lost the election to Bola Tinubu, then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Since then, there have been rumours suggesting the trio might form an alliance to challenge Tinubu in 2027, a claim Kwankwaso has denied.

On March 20, Atiku said he and other opposition politicians would form a coalition to wrest power from the ruling party in 2027.

The Ondo NNPP chairman asked opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and rally behind Kwankwaso as the consensus candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and others advocating for an opposition coalition should persuade Atiku to step aside from the 2027 presidential race,” Olagookun said.

“He should support his brother, Kwankwaso, and together they should select a strong candidate from the south as his running mate.

“I believe that with this arrangement, the ruling party will not be able to withstand the opposition.

“But without such unity, the coalition will not work; it will collapse like dust before the 2027 general election.”

Olagookun said that if Atiku steps down, history will honour him for sacrificing his ambition for national interest.

He described Kwankwaso as a “credible” candidate capable of leading the opposition to victory in 2027.

The NNPP chairman also commended Atiku for rallying opposition leaders to strategise for the 2027 election and for his contributions to national development.

Responding in an interview on Tuesday to whether he would run for president in the next election, Atiku said he was unsure, stressing the need for a strong political platform.