A former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Simon Okeke, has called on Atiku Abubakar to step aside and support Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement on Tuesday, Okeke described Obi, the 2023 candidate of the Labour Party, as the most nationally accepted presidential hopeful in Nigeria’s history.
He argued that no candidate including Nnamdi Azikiwe had enjoyed the level of cross-country appeal Obi currently commands.
“Among all the presidential aspirants today, he is the most acceptable nationwide,” Okeke said, while acknowledging that Obi, like any politician, is not without flaws.
Okeke said Atiku has a chance to repay the support he has received from the South-East over the years by backing Obi’s candidacy.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s informal power rotation principle, arguing that the presidency should remain in the south for another term.
According to him, stepping down in Obi’s favour would reinforce Atiku’s image as a unifying political figure, while failure to do so could damage perceptions of his relationship with the South-East.
The former PSC chairman further urged northern and south-western voters to rally behind Obi, framing the move as a matter of equity and national balance.
He added that an Obi presidency could help ease long-standing historical tensions, including those linked to the Nigerian civil war.
