Obi Denies Rift With Atiku Abubakar Amid 2027 Coalition Cracks

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) — Peter Obi has denied claims that he is avoiding former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Obi spoke on Friday in Cape Town, South Africa, during the Spier Dialogue 2026, a pan-African governance forum.

He said he still has great respect for Atiku and described him as a leader and elder brother.

“There are very few human beings who are as close to Atiku as I am. So I can’t be running from him. I don’t run from him. Never,” Obi said.

He added that his political decisions are based on doing things differently, not because of personal problems with anyone.

Obi and Atiku had earlier joined forces under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Obi officially joined the ADC on January 1, 2026, and Atiku welcomed the move, describing it as an important step in building a strong opposition coalition.

However, the alliance later collapsed after Obi left the party.

Speaking on his exit, Obi said he had no personal issues with Atiku or ADC chairman David Mark.

According to him, he left because of internal crises and constant legal disputes within the party, which he said distracted attention from national issues.

Obi later joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Rabiu Kwankwaso, where both leaders called for an end to politics driven by court cases and internal conflicts.

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