Why Peter Obi visited Atiku, Saraki, Lamido

Peter Obi, Aitku Abubakar, Sule Lamido and Bukola Saraki [X, formerly Twitter] ©(c) provided by Pulse Nigeria

Political enthusiasts and pundits have continued to predict a grand alliance between top opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Peter Obi, the Labour Party's bannerman in the 2023 presidential race, held a private meeting with three top northern politicians in Abuja on Monday, May 13.

He met with Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President, alongside notable figures from the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Additionally, Obi held separate discussions with Sule Lamido, the ex-governor of Jigawa State, and Bukola Saraki, the former Senate President.

The meeting has ignited speculation about a potential alliance preceding the 2027 general elections.

There's talk of the PDP collaborating with other significant political entities in Nigeria, a potential alliance that could significantly challenge the ruling APC and impede President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's bid for re-election, marking a major shift in the political landscape.

Giving details of Obi's meeting with these political giants, Yunusa Tanko, the Labour Party's director of media, stated that the discussions revolved around the nation's progress.

He said, "Mr. Peter Obi has continued to live up to his expressed commitment to the peace and progress of the nation.

"His abiding devotion is to the emergence of a Nigeria that works for all its peoples and where the people are quickly pulled out of poverty.

"At the centre of discussion during each of these visits was the state of the nation and how to reduce the suffering of all Nigerians irrespective of class and location.

"In particular, the desperate condition of the downtrodden in our midst was highlighted.

"Of particular interest and emphasis in these discussions was the worrisome situation in the Northern parts of the country."

Meanwhile, political enthusiasts and pundits have continued to predict a grand alliance between top opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recall that the APC used similar tactics after a merger between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

However, the merger was solidified when the breakaway faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP—a faction of the then-ruling People's Democratic Party—joined the fold to unseat ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.