A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has warned former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) or risk being held responsible for a potential collapse of opposition unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Galadima issued the warning on Monday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he claimed that key opposition figures were already aligning under the NDC to form a coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said that “the truth is that Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso moved into the ADC to unify the opposition against President Bola Tinubu.
“But there are insinuations that the APC and the government used the courts to destabilise that effort.”
Galadima added that the current political realignments made it imperative for Atiku to follow suit and join the NDC in order to consolidate opposition strength.
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“This is why I’m calling on Atiku Abubakar to join us, just as we followed him previously. There must be unity of opposition to unseat this government. If he refuses, he will be held responsible,” he said.
The NNPP chieftain further argued that most political heavyweights had already moved into the NDC, stressing that any refusal by Atiku to join the coalition could weaken efforts to challenge the incumbent administration.
“The reality is that the major political gladiators are now in the NDC.
“If anyone stays outside, like Kwankwaso initially did before he was persuaded, then we are also appealing to Atiku to come in so that we can consolidate and remove the current government,” he stated.
Galadima warned that Atiku’s continued stay outside the NDC, could cost him politically, including jeopardising his chances of contesting in the next presidential election.
“If he refuses, then he has scuttled the unity of the opposition and, by implication, forfeited his right to contest in 2027,” he added.
His comments come amid ongoing political reshuffling following reports that Obi and Kwankwaso recently defected to the NDC after consultations with party stakeholders, including its National Leader, Sen. Seriake Dickson.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and allies of Atiku have dismissed speculations that the former vice-president is planning to defect to the NDC.
