Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have intensified consultations with regional power blocs to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

This is as some groups loyal to the President say they are meeting influential political and religious leaders to increase Tinubu’s chances of re-election.

Since July, when the coalition leaders unveiled the African Democratic Congress as their political platform for the 2027 elections, they have taken steps to drive their agenda.

The ADC figures, including former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, have toured several states, including Lagos, Imo, Oyo, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, and Borno.

However, the tempo increased in recent weeks as the group held multiple meetings with regional blocs and influential groups.

Last Thursday, Atiku visited a former Minister of Communications, Prof Ali Isa Pantami, at his residence.

A file photo of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Though Pantami said their talks centred on the economy, education, and governance, sources said the meeting was not unconnected with the coalition agenda.

Atiku had on Wednesday met with a former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido in Abuja.

In a post on X, he disclosed that they “discussed extensively on the state of the nation and how we can all collaborate to redeem the current situation.”

The same day, the ex-VP met with former state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change.

He said he briefed them on the origins of the coalition platform and its ideals.

Atiku further engaged political stakeholders from Borno State, led by Mohammed Kumaila, on worsening insecurity in the North.

The former VP on Monday met Attahiru Bafarawa, a former Sokoto State governor, in Abuja.

Like Atiku, Obi also embarked on a series of consultations during the week.

On Tuesday, he met with the leadership of a faction of pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, led by Oba Oladipo Olaitan, who also heads an ethnic nationality coalition comprising PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum.

On Monday, Obi visited Pantami at his residence.

Sharing photos of the meeting via X on Tuesday, Pantami wrote, “Last night, I received a friendly visit from His Excellency Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party. We discussed a range of issues, including agriculture, economy, education, artificial intelligence, global statistics, and unity in diversity, among others.”

On Sunday, Obi, alongside other coalition leaders under the ADC, visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He also called on the Olubadan designate, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija residence, where he met with prominent Yoruba leaders.

2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, and Olubadan Designate, Oba Rasheed Ladoja, in his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo….Photo: Ademola Adegbite
The former LP presidential candidate had last week held separate meetings with former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo.

In a post on X on Friday, Obi described Jonathan as “a dear elder brother, statesman, and leader” after what he called a “fruitful closed-door meeting” in Abuja.

The PUNCH reported that Obi’s recent meeting with Jonathan was to seek his support and dissuade him from joining the 2027 race.

Multiple sources also noted that Obi later briefed Obasanjo on the outcome of the Jonathan meeting while seeking the former’s backing.

Sunday PUNCH reports that earlier this month, former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was in Imo State, where he met political, traditional, and religious leaders on governance and economic development.

He visited the palace of the traditional ruler of Nekede autonomous community, Eze Stephen Kemjika, Agumanu IV, and also called on a former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Nnaemeka Maduagwu.

At the latter’s residence, he met with Obi and leaders of the Social Democratic Party.

El-Rufai also held talks with leaders of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, sparking debate over the coalition’s prospects of gaining inroads into the South-East.