Atiku, Obi Face Coalition Hurdle as Political Ambitions Clash — Ardo

Political strategist and Convener of the League of Northern Democrats, Umar Ardo, has identified what he described as two major obstacles that could prevent former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi from forming a strong opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Arise News, Ardo said the key challenge was whether either politician would be willing to step aside in favour of the other.

Atiku Unlikely to Step Down

Ardo said Atiku was unlikely to voluntarily withdraw from the presidential race, despite the potential benefits of a unified opposition platform.

According to him, Atiku could retain his political support base if he chose to step aside, but the former vice president was unlikely to make such a decision.

“My view is that Atiku does not have the propensity by himself to say, ‘I will step down.’ If he says so, he will not have a problem with his support base. But the issue is that he is highly unlikely to say that,” Ardo said.

Obi Faces Support Base Challenge

On Peter Obi, Ardo offered a different assessment.

He said Obi had the ability to withdraw from the contest but warned that doing so could create serious difficulties with his supporters, who may not necessarily transfer their loyalty to another candidate.

“Then Peter Obi has the propensity to say, ‘I will step down.’ But if he says so, he will not have his support base. He will not be able to carry his support base,” he said.

Coalition Depends on Resolving Two Issues

Ardo argued that unless the two challenges are resolved, a full merger between the political camps of Atiku and Obi would remain difficult.

“Unless we are able to resolve these two challenges, then I don’t see the fusing together being possible,” he said.

However, he maintained that the inability to form a single coalition would not necessarily eliminate either politician’s chances in 2027.

Atiku, Obi Could Still Challenge Tinubu

According to Ardo, both politicians individually possess enough political strength to potentially upset the current political order.

“Even if they don’t fuse together, they still have the capacity to win the election against the incumbent on an individual basis,” he said.

His comments come amid continuing efforts by opposition figures to build a broad political alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the question of who would lead any unified ticket remaining one of the biggest challenges.