Supreme Court: 4 things left for Atiku Abubakar in PDP

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, October 26, truncated the dream of Atiku Abubakar, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 presidential election, of becoming the Nigerian president.

Atiku's 30-year journey of becoming the number one citizen of Nigeria suffered his latest defeat at the ballot box and the court, making the former vice president come, see and fail to conquer as the apex court stroke out his petition for lack of merit.

The PDP candidate had contested for the highest office for the seventh time and had lost. His first attempt was in the third republic, where he reportedly contested the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential ticket by proxy.

Down to 2023, Atiku had his seventh attempt at the presidency with much drama and theories that led to his failure at the poll and the Supreme Court, but the big question is, what is the next thing for the 77-year-old Atiku after the defeat on Thursday?

Below is an explanation of four things Atiku can do after the Supreme Court verdict.

Atiku can be an effective opposition leader

The former vice president can become an effective opposition leader by returning to the drawing board and giving constructive criticism against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Unlike who he was during the administration of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, where he was reported to have dumped the country for Dubai and began speaking when the election was only approaching.

PDP needs a reconciliation symbol

One major thing that led to the failure of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election was its failure to maintain a united front ahead of the poll.

The leading opposition is currently hungry for a credible leadership that would lead the way to unity and cohesion ahead of the 2027 general election.

Atiku can lead the way to making the PDP's glorious imagination come to reality by being a symbol of reconciliation and leaving behind his grudges with any member of the party.

PDP can't be ruled out in the current political scheme

Atiku can level on the ground that the PDP has governors across the geopolitical zones and remains a threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to lead the party into tremendous victory in the 2027 general election.

The former vice president can lead the struggle to ensure that the PDP did not end in destruction with the call for a unity government by President Tinubu's administration, in which some PDP governors are already Tinubu as the opposition they can always make a deal with.

One of such instance is the Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, who joined his APC counterparts to visit Tinubu after the Supreme Court verdict.

Recall that Diri is seeking re-election on November 11 and could be at the presidential villa to make a deal with the President.

Atiku should sponsor a presidential candidate in 2027

By 2027, Atiku would be 81, and with the current trend in Nigeria, it is not certain that the people of the country would want an octogenarian like Atiku to occupy the seat of power.

However, the former vice president could become a formidable godfather in the PDP if he starts working out his mathematics by sponsoring a presidential, governorship and candidate in the 2027 presidential election and if fate is on his side, his candidate could win, and he could still then maintain his political relevance.