Breakfast Or Backroom Deal? Atiku And Obi’s Meeting Fuels 2027 Alliance Rumors

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

A quiet breakfast between two of Nigeria’s most prominent political figures, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, has exploded into a storm of speculation about a potential alliance for the 2027 presidential election.

The reunion, held at Atiku’s residence in Adamawa State and shared on his official X account, featured a caption that read: “It is breakfast time with my friend, #PeterObi, in the ‘land of beauty.’”

This seemingly benign post, accompanied by a video of the two leaders seated together, has ignited debates over whether the breakfast was merely a social event or the prelude to a strategic political partnership.

The timing of the meeting raised eyebrows, coming months after PDP Deputy National Spokesman, Ibrahim Abdullahi, hinted in a statement on penultimate Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, at a possible alliance among Atiku, Obi, and NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Abdullahi had described the trio as being open to merging forces to unseat the ruling APC in the next general election.

However, representatives from both camps, while speaking to journalists, have categorically denied any political undertones.

Paul Ibe, Atiku’s spokesperson, dismissed the idea of a political collusion, insisting the event was centered on friendship.

“Obi accepted to keynote the AUN Founder’s Day, which Atiku founded. They shared breakfast as friends; nothing more. People are overreading into this,” Ibe said.

Obi’s aide, Ibrahim Umar, echoed similar sentiments, calling the speculations “laughable.” “It’s amusing how Nigerians politicise everything. Obi was there for a speech, not a political pact,” Umar remarked.

Despite the denials, the images of the two leaders together have sparked a frenzy, particularly among opposition supporters who see a potential Atiku-Obi-Kwankwaso alliance as a formidable force against the APC in 2027.

For now, both camps have brushed aside the speculation, framing the breakfast as nothing more than a reunion between old allies. Whether this was truly just a friendly meal or the start of a political gambit remains to be seen.