Why delegates disrupt Atiku, Obi coalition meeting

A political coalition meeting involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, and some other opposition leaders in Abuja was disrupted by some delegates to the parley on Sunday.

Punch newspaper reported that the disruption followed a disagreement over who should speak for the Jigawa State delegation at the meeting convened by the National Political Consultative Group (North) in Abuja Continental Hotel.

Disagreement arose when Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, announced the name of a delegate to speak for the delegation.

However, some delegates from the state rose in protest against the person Mr Lawal named, thereby causing tension in the hall, and proceedings were halted.

Following the outrage and ensuing tension, security personnel, comprising the police and the State Security Service (SSS), formed a protection barrier around Atiku, a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and others.

However, after some minutes, normalcy was restored as Mustapha Lamido, son of former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, and one other person were picked to speak for the delegates from the state.

Formation of Coalition

In March, Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, and other key opposition leaders said they had formed a coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential poll.

“Yes, this is the birth of the coalition of opposition ahead of 2027,” the former vice president told journalists.

Other prominent coalition members are Mr Amaechi and former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State.

However, since the formation of the coalition, Atiku has received opposition from the party’s governors and federal lawmakers. While the governors said it would weaken the PDP, the party’s senate caucus said any such movement must be party-driven rather than championed by individuals, regardless of their status within the party.

However, the former vice president insisted that coalition was the only way to defeat the APC.

Choice of ADC

Recently, there were reports that Messrs Atiku and Obi had agreed to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the primary coalition party to challenge President Tinubu.

The coalition, however, denied the report. “The public should disregard the story as it is completely false. No such decision has been taken,”coalition spokesperson, Salihu Lukman, said.

Source: Premium Times