A merger talks between three key opposition leaders in Nigeria, namely; Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) ahead of the 2027 presidential election have commenced.

This followed the desire of the political bigwigs to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom they described as running a government for his family members.

Confirming the development on Monday, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the move has become absolutely necessary to save Nigerians from hunger and widespread insecurity in the country.

Abdullahi, who stated these when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, said the three opposition candidates from the previous elections—Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso are prepared to set aside personal ambitions to create a strong coalition capable of challenging the ruling APC in 2027, with the goal of rescuing Nigerians from hunger.

He noted that had previous leadership of the party effectively managed internal disputes and conflicts, prominent figures within the PDP such as former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, Kwankwaso, and Obi would likely still be active members of the PDP, which could have led to a victory for the opposition party in 2023.

In the words of Abdullahi; “We lost Kwankwaso, we lost Peter Obi, all of these people, imagine if they were in the party, we will have gone to win the elections. The APC said they defeated us with one million plus (votes), just one of these names that I mentioned would have covered that gap for us and we would have been in power today and certainly Nigerians would not have been confronted with this despair and despondency in the land.”

Asked if the PDP is trying to get Obi, Kwankwaso, Wike and others back into the party, Abdullahi said discussions are ongoing as Peter Obi is discussing with Atiku and meeting with Nasir El-Rufai.

He said; “Party management is a very difficult thing and we are doing the best in the quagmire that we have found ourselves. Rest assured, there would be light at the end of the tunnel. We have learnt our lessons in a bitter way.

“Our concern as a party and to these people that I have mentioned is to ensure that we salvage Nigerians from this despair and despondency, between maladies of hunger and frightening insecurity in the land.

“You can see the cluelessness and ineptitude on the part of the people managing the country. Salvaging Nigerians out of the present hardship is more important than the individual ambitions of the trio.

“Atiku is saying if it is better for him to get Nigeria out of this hopelessness, he would do so. He (Atiku) must not be in the race. Atiku is saying that it is an entitlement to him as a democrat; the constitution provides for him that he could contest at any time.

“What he is trying to say is that (there) is no ceiling stopping him from contesting. That is his fundamental democratic right but he is not saying that he will force it on the throat of the party or the country.

“I am telling you clearly: Peter Obi is suitably qualified; he can aspire and we will support him if he gets the ticket. Atiku is suitably qualified and if he gets the ticket, we will rally behind him and give him the desired support to salvage Nigerians out of this situation,” Abdulllahi stressed.