A former deputy national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Diran Odeyemi, has claimed that Atiku Abubakar missed a clear path to the presidency in 2023 by refusing to run alongside Peter Obi.
Speaking on News Central TV’s Politics HQ on Tuesday, Odeyemi also alleged that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is now heavily influenced by Atiku and his allies. “ADC, if you want to know, is Atiku Disciples Congress,” he said. “He moved his people to that place. So if any presidential candidate or hopeful joins ADC today, that will be the end of his dealings with ADC.”
According to Odeyemi, choosing Obi as a running mate would have secured victory for Atiku in last year’s polls. “If Atiku is so smart to pin down Obi as his vice-presidential candidate, he would have been the president today,” Odeyemi stated.
He also faulted Atiku’s refusal to yield to the G5 governors’ demand to remove Iyorchia Ayu as PDP national chairman before the election, calling it another costly blunder. “If he is the right person who will make a decision and say, ‘This is what I stand for,’ Ayu would have been removed according to the demands of the G5,” he added.
Odeyemi questioned the judgment of those advising Atiku, suggesting they failed to properly assess the political climate before major decisions were made. “I am not sure the people who are strategizing for him studied the situation before he embarked on any decision,” he said.
On the prospects of former President Goodluck Jonathan returning to active politics, the PDP chieftain predicted that Atiku would exit the ADC if Jonathan decides to join the party. “The way I want to see it now is just to see if Jonathan will come to ADC. And if Jonathan comes, Atiku will leave ADC; just take that,” he remarked.
Last week, former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido described Jonathan as the PDP’s best option for the 2027 presidential race and urged the party to “woo” him back.
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