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This shift appears to be a strategic move to derail Atiku’s potential nomination, who has been criticized within party circles as a ‘serial contestant.’ Sources who spoke with Punch suggest that some party leaders remain resentful towards Atiku for allegedly mishandling the party’s campaign in the 2023 elections.
Atiku was not serious and sincere about winning that presidency.” A few members of the NWC, who did not want to be identified, also felt Atiku was always seeking to experiment with the PDP and had not shown enough zeal to win it, following the manner he handled his differences with the camp of Wike and the other four governors during the intrigue of Ayu-must-go campaign.
When quizzed on how the narrative moved from talks about the chances of Atiku working together with Peter Obi, who many thought would defect from the Labour Party in the wake of the leadership crisis rocking his party, the PDP chieftain said the former LP candidate was not willing to take the bait.
The group, notably including Wike, Makinde, and former governors Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Benue, Enugu, and Abia states respectively, had previously opposed Atiku’s candidacy in the last election cycle.
“It is only a man who doesn’t have the interest of Nigerians at heart that will be talking about 2027, especially when people are dying every day.
The governor stated that“he is old enough to speak for himself on any issue without fear or intimidation,”adding that he would do so publicly if he had anything to say about his political future.
A source disclosed,“Every election cycle, you will be given a presidential ticket; you will bungle it.
The dissatisfaction stems from his failure to reconcile with a group of five disgruntled governors who had demanded the resignation of the then-national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, contributing to internal rifts during a crucial election period.
For now, he is still with the Labour Party.” Meanwhile, Makinde has openly declared that he is qualified to contest and would push for the 2027 presidential election agenda when the time is right.
Despite recent efforts to solidify unity within the party, sources close to the PDP National Working Committee, who lean towards Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, indicate a growing endorsement for Makinde’s candidacy.
They also feared that he may no longer be a sellable candidate in 2027 because of his age, hence the need for a younger and more vibrant candidate like Makinde.
According to him, people should focus on how Nigerians would overcome the current hardship in the land, rather than talk about who should be given the presidential ticket for 2027..
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