A sharp political storm is brewing across the South East and beyond as supporters of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar engage in heated debates over who should fly the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential flag in 2027.
The debate has gained traction in political circles, with both camps fiercely defending their preferred candidates.
While Obi’s backers insist it is time for the South East to occupy Nigeria’s highest office, Atiku’s supporters argue that the former Vice President’s political clout and solid northern base make him the opposition’s best shot at unseating President Bola Tinubu.
Uche Ekwe, a resident of Umuahia, Abia State believes the momentum is in Obi’s favour.
He said “Peter Obi enjoys overwhelming support in the South East and South-South. The youth population trusts him and sees him as the face of a new Nigeria. With Tinubu already from the South, it makes sense for Obi to complete the South’s turn before power returns to the North in 2031. Atiku should wait; age isn’t even an issue because people like Trump and Mandela became presidents between 70 and 80,”
.Atiku Abubakar was born on November 25, 1946, which makes him 78 years old as of now (July 2025). Peter Obi was born on July 19, 1961, which makes him 63 years old as of now (July 2024).
But not everyone agrees. Mazi Eze Okwe, a public affairs analyst based in Owerri, counters that Atiku’s vast political network remains a formidable advantage.
“You cannot ignore Atiku’s reach. He has loyalists across the North and parts of the South. He has contested multiple times and understands the terrain. With the right coalition, he can dislodge Tinubu,” Okwe said.
Yet, some analysts warn that neither Atiku nor Obi can win on their own. Mr Nnanna Nwokeji, a political strategist, provided a blunt assessment.
He said “Atiku has a vast political network, no doubt, but he has never used it successfully to become President. For me, the vast political network he boasts of is only strong in the North. It is the same scenario with Buhari, who had 12 million bankable votes yet failed in several presidential elections until he got substantial support from the South, which gave him victory in 2015.
He continued “Atiku can only become President if he gets significant votes from the South to complement his bankable votes in the North. With Obi as his running mate, he will unseat Tinubu. The same goes for Obi; without the core Northern votes to add to his dependable votes in the South, he cannot become President. So, both of them need each other,” Nwokeji said.
Mr. Jerry Okolie of the Centre for Human Development, Awka, agrees, noting that “what the opposition ADC needs is a solid North-South ticket that resonates nationally. Obi alone cannot crack the northern bloc, and Atiku alone cannot sweep the South. It’s time for both men to set egos aside and work as a team.”
The South East’s overwhelming support for Obi has further complicated the equation. From Abia to Anambra, his name commands near reverence, with many saying he embodies the aspirations of a region long shut out of power since the end of Nigeria’s civil war.
Observers say the ADC Coalition faces a tough balancing act as it weighs the need for regional equity against cold electoral mathematics. With Tinubu seeking re-election and riding on incumbency power, the opposition coalition knows it must make a calculated choice to avoid splitting votes and handing APC an easy victory in the 2027 Presidential election.
In 2023, Obi and Atiku together polled over 12 million votes—more than four million above Tinubu’s tally—but they ran on separate platforms. Analysts say repeating that mistake in 2027 could prove fatal for the opposition.
