A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to join the party and work with other opposition leaders to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

According to him, if Atiku refuses to join the NDC, he will be held responsible if the opposition eventually fails in the task to unseat Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Galadima made the call on Monday during an interview with Channels Television.

According to the elder statesman, all opposition gladiators, including former presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, are already with the NDC, and Atiku needs to join them in the party just as they followed him to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) so they can present a united opposition front.

He said, “The truth of the matter is that Peter Obi and Kwankwaso migrated into the ADC; they brought unity of opposition to unseat Tinubu. Unfortunately, there are insinuations that the APC, the government, and, by extension, Tinubu used the courts to unseat the opposition.

“This is why I’m making this call on former vice president Atiku Abubakar to follow us as we followed him into the ADC, such that there will be a unity of opposition to unseat this government, and if he refuses, Atiku will be held responsible.

“The reality is that all the political gladiators are now in the NDC, and if anybody is outside, like Kwankwaso was outside and persuaded into the ADC, then we’re also pleading with Atiku to come into the NDC so that we can consolidate again and remove the incumbent government.

“If he refuses to do that, then he has now scuttled the unity of the opposition to unseat this government because he cannot continue to be in the ADC, or else he has agreed now to forfeit his right to contest in the 2027 election.”

Meanwhile, Atiku on Monday dismissed reports about plans to defect to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), after the former presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Reports stated that Atiku, in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described reports of his imminent defection to the NDC as fake news.

In the statement titled “This is FAKE NEWS”, Shaibu denied claims that Atiku has held secret talks on defection with NDC officials.