Supporters of Peter Obi have hit back at former vice president Atiku Abubakar after he declared he would not step aside for any rival in his pursuit of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi’s backers—known as the Obidient Movement—dismissed Atiku’s stance as political “mind games,” insisting their candidate would never participate in Nigeria’s money-soaked primary system.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Obi’s former campaign spokesman and the movement’s national coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said, “Peter Obi will never go into a primary election where he has to buy delegates. It is a fact that in Nigeria today, delegates are being purchased—in dollars, not naira. Obi represents a different ideology that rejects this transactional politics.”
Atiku’s BBC Hausa interview on Wednesday had suggested he might step aside if beaten by a younger aspirant, though he added it was premature to confirm his candidacy. “If I run for office and a young man defeats me, I will accept that,” he said.
But within hours, his media adviser Paul Ibe issued a statement clarifying that Atiku had no plans to withdraw for anyone. A review of the interview, Ibe said, showed the ex-VP only encouraged young aspirants to contest. “At no point did he state, suggest, or imply that he intends to step down,” he stressed.
The remarks triggered fresh debate in Nigeria’s opposition ranks. Former senator Shehu Sani quipped that Atiku’s dominance in primaries made it “easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle” than for younger candidates to defeat him in a delegate contest.
The ADC, unveiled in July as a coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu, has struggled to attract heavyweight defections. Atiku has thrown his weight behind the new bloc, while Obi and former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai continue to hedge their bets.
Obi has repeatedly said he will not be stampeded into abandoning the Labour Party, stressing he will only move when “fully ready.”
