Demola Olarewaju, Senior Political Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has predicted that support for his principal among members of the Obidient Movement could emerge as the biggest political game changer ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Olarewaju said many supporters of Peter Obi would eventually recognise Atiku as the only opposition candidate with sufficient momentum to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Atiku is seeking the presidency under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a post on X, Olarewaju described the anticipated support as “ObidientsForAtiku”, arguing that some members of the movement would eventually reconsider their political position and rally behind the former vice president.
“The biggest political game changer for 2027 will be ObidientsForAtiku – a bunch of them will break through the matrix and realise AA is the only one running against Tinubu with momentum.
“They can’t be coddled though; leave that for Jack, make your case and consolidate,” he wrote.
Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, Olarewaju said there had been a general belief among some Nigerians that any of the three leading candidates Atiku, Peter Obi and Tinubu would perform better than former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, the expectation that any of the three candidates would improve on Buhari’s administration proved wrong following Tinubu’s emergence as president.
“One general thought consensus in the last election was that either of the 3 major candidates would do better than Buhari – it didn’t really matter who won between Atiku, Obi or Tinubu; all 3 were better than Buhari.
“Tinubu proved us all wrong, and removing him is now a righteous mission for Nigeria,” Olarewaju added.
