Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Zamfara State governor, Abdullaziz Yari and Senator Abdul Ningi have initiated the move to form a mega party ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, lost the election to President Bola Tinubu.
Yari also lost his bid to become the Senate President to Godswill Akpabio who was preferred by Tinubu.
According to sources, Atiku has set in motion the machinery for the proposed mega party in collaboration with some members of the National Assembly.
It was learnt that Atiku’s camp was wary of the disunity in the PDP and FCT minister, Nyesom Wike’s overbearing influence on the opposition party.
The source said Atiku and his allies were mulling the repeat of the 2013 scenario which saw the merger between Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form a mega party.
“They have gone far in the arrangement. They believe that the country is in the same situation as it was in 2014 during the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s era, hence, their decision to form a mega party to wrestle power from Tinubu,” the source said.
“Ningi’s statement on the BBC Hausa Service was one of the moves of the promoters of the mega party. They want to create problems in the National Assembly and set the lawmakers against each other and the Presidency”, the source added.
Fresh plot against Tinubu
Another senator alleged that there was a fresh plot to destabilize Tinubu’s government in order to return power to the North in 2027.
“We know their game plan. We are watching them. We have since returned to our political arsenal to thwart any move to create enmity between us and the Executive and destabilise the government,” the senator said under condition of anonymity.
“Indeed, we don’t attack the government as the opposition is supposed to do. But this is a result of the situation and the government we have. These so-called leaders they forced on us were not voted by us.
“They brought religious issues, ethnic and tribal issues into the process. They used propaganda, saying no Hausa/Fulani would be trusted to lead the opposition because there would be no peace.
“If you look at it from this scenario, the majority of those in opposition are from the North-East and the North-West. But we were not allowed to be the leaders of the opposition in the Senate.
“This is one of the reasons we said we would go back and look at what is happening under the umbrella of the Northern Senators’ Forum, which is under my leadership”, the senator said.
Reacting to this Atiku wrote “I have been inundated with calls from our party members, supporters, and concerned Nigerians regarding the fabricated story in The Nation, Tinubu’s ragtag, alleging my departure from the @OfficialPDPNig. Let me be unequivocal: this is pure mischief, devoid of truth. I reaffirm my unwavering loyalty to the PDP while advocating the swift merger of opposition parties. The urgency of this consolidation cannot be overstated.
“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.
“My media team is vigorously countering his baseless claims. Let this be a wake-up call to all: the pursuit of power must not overshadow the imperative of effective governance. Together, let us propel Nigeria forward, leaving behind the antics of political charlatans.”
