Ife Salako, the Lagos State spokesperson of the Labour Party, has warned that any move by Peter Obi to run as vice-presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar in a proposed coalition ahead of the 2027 elections would cost him his organic grassroots support.
Salako stated this in an interview with BusinessDay at West Africa Civic Tech Conference in Lagos on Wednesday, where he shared concerns about ongoing coalition talks among opposition parties aimed at unseating the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While backing the idea of a coalition, he rejected the possibility of Obi playing second fiddle.
“That kind of ticket will make you lose your grassroots support. It’s organic,” Salako said. “The organic grassroots support, which is coming from a whole lot of young people you find around here, are not the kind of people that believe in the old politicians, the likes of Atiku and so on.”
He argued that Obi’s support base, largely made up of young Nigerians disillusioned with the political establishment, would not accept an alliance that places the Labour Party presidential candidate in a subordinate role to an older, more established figure like Atiku.
Salako, however, made it clear that he supports any political alignment that would dislodge the APC from power in 2027, provided Obi remains the main contender.
“I have come to the conclusion that I am in support of two things: anything that will give Peter [Obi] a presidential ticket and anything that will make APC leave that position,” he said.
He added, “Whatever will make APC leave that position in 2027, so that Nigeria can begin to realign in the right direction, I’m in for it.”
Read also: Coalition against Tinubu thickens as opposition regroups
Salako’s comments come amid growing speculation about opposition unity talks, with some political actors reportedly pushing for a merger or alliance to present a single presidential candidate against the ruling party.
According to reports, opposition figures including Atiku, Obi, and Nasir el-Rufai, former Kaduna governor, have agreed to form a coalition against the ruling APC in 2027.
The proposed union is reportedly planning to field former Vice President Atiku as its presidential candidate and Obi as his running mate.
The duo ran a joint ticket on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 but lost to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.
In 2023, Atiku still contested under PDP while Obi got the LP ticket. They emerged as the first and second runner-ups respectively, behind President Bola Tinubu of the APC.
