Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is reportedly planning to leave the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to join his political ally, Nasir El-Rufai, in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Spear News has learnt.
Sources indicate that Atiku is considering his options amid the PDP’s ongoing internal crises and legal battles, which threaten the party’s survival.
The former vice president is reportedly weighing whether to remain in the PDP or move to the SDP, where he could lead a strong coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
A source, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed that El-Rufai was sent by Atiku to lay the groundwork in the SDP for his potential move. Atiku is currently consulting with other prominent political figures before making a final decision.
“Atiku Abubakar is still in the consultation phase and may announce his resignation from the PDP soon, especially if the Supreme Court ruling favours Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the ousted PDP National Secretary,” the source said.
“He is carefully evaluating his options, but on a scale of 1 to 10, he is 70% likely to join the SDP. There are no signs that the PDP can recover from its current crisis.
Atiku would prefer to lead a coalition of political parties rather than leave the PDP, but circumstances may force his hand.”
The source added, “El-Rufai was sent as an emissary to prepare the SDP for Atiku’s arrival, and other top politicians are expected to join him.”
He disclosed that Atiku is considering Peter Obi as his running mate, provided the ongoing negotiations for consensus between the two yield a positive outcome.
“Obi,” he stated, “is not entirely opposed to the idea of forming a joint ticket but not with Atiku.”
However, Peter Obi remains inclined to pursue the presidency rather than a vice-presidential role. Nonetheless, influential figures have been urged to persuade him to set aside personal ambitions and consider the collective goal of securing victory in the election. A joint ticket featuring Obi and Atiku is seen as a formidable strategy to easily defeat the APC in 2027.
The source however stressed the importance of timely consensus within the party to begin building alliances and fostering unity across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Spear News reported last week that former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, warned that if Senator Samuel Anyanwu wins his Supreme Court appeal, it could lead to the PDP’s complete takeover by the APC. Ologbondiyan attributed this possibility to the influence of Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.
El-Rufai, the former Kaduna State, who recently joined the SDP, urged Atiku and other politicians to follow suit to “redeem Nigeria.”
This came weeks after El-Rufai praised Atiku for his role in driving economic reforms during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Atiku, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007, oversaw the privatization of national assets through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), which was then led by El-Rufai.
During a condolence visit to the family of the late elder statesman Edwin Clark, El-Rufai acknowledged Atiku’s contributions to economic policymaking during the Obasanjo era.
“Nobody gives Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the credit for economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things we did, we did under his leadership,” El-Rufai stated.
“Maybe because we don’t write about it, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget. We only remember negative things. Maybe it’s part of human nature.”
“Atiku’s role in economic reforms has often been a subject of political debate, particularly regarding the privatisation of government enterprises. El-Rufai himself had earlier attacked Atiku, saying that he was being haunted by “demons of corruption”, said El-rufai.
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