Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hosted Peter Obi, his former running mate, in the 2019 general election today.
Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, posted on X.
”It was my honour and privilege to host @PeterObi today.”
Before Obi’s visit, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide, pointed fingers at Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State and now a minister under the All Progressive Congress(APC), in a recent interview; he alleged that the minister played a pivotal role in Obi’s departure from the PDP.
“Atiku Abubakar didn’t in any way force Obi’s exit from the party. It’s not about relationships (Atiku managing the relationship between himself and Obi), there were factors,” he explained.
He claimed that Wike’s ambition to secure the presidency for the southern region led him to undermine efforts to zone the ticket to the South East, thus pushing Obi out of the party.
“Wike was also instrumental in Obi’s exit because he promoted his zone of presidency to the south. Atiku had said that he was prepared to get himself off the ticket if the party zones to the ticket to the southeast,” he added.
Peter Obi left the PDP in May 2022 to run for the 2023 election on the platform of the Labour Party.
While neither has revealed the details of the visit, it is the first cordial meeting between Atiku and Obi.
It was my honour and privilege to host @PeterObi today. -AA pic.twitter.com/JRlE2Ec52D
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 13, 2024