"Obidients Are Attacking Atiku Like He Is Tinubu + Peter Obi Cannot Win Alone In 2027" –Fabiyi Warns

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Okay, let let me let me be direct with you.

[00:00:03]Vice former Vice President Atiku has run five times. Peter Obi did very well 2023. Had a good showing. Nobody gave him that that chance, but he did very well. Got 6 million votes.

[00:00:16]Kokoso builds a a formidable institution around himself.

[00:00:24]Give it to him. Exactly. He did very well. Now, Rotimi Amaechi also is positioning himself, you know, >> [snorts] >> touting his accomplishments while he was governor and even as minister. He built railways and all of that. And if I like Rotimi Amaechi, he says all the time that nobody can accuse him of any corruption baggage and all of that. But the question is this.

[00:00:44]Which of these men do you think has the temperament to step down and say, "Okay, you go and I'll still support you. I'll back you up. I will not play the role of a spoiler." Which of them?

[00:00:56]Honestly, I can't I don't know.

[00:00:57]I don't know. I don't I don't I don't I don't know their mind.

[00:01:01]Atiku has made it abundantly clear that he's ready for anyone. Okay. If it's going to be consensus, there are procedures for consensus. If he gets it fine, if he does not get it, life continues. He will support whoever. If it's going to be direct primaries, let's go He's even even prefer direct primary.

[00:01:14]I think he even prefer the election so that we will know. This is what Tinubu is running away from.

[00:01:19]So, I don't know.

[00:01:21]Like I said, Atiku has made a commitment. Um, what's his name?

[00:01:28]Former governor of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi, has equally made a commitment.

[00:01:31]I'm waiting to hear the commitment of Mr. Peter Obi.

[00:01:34]Uh, you know, and I think he needs to talk to his people, you know, because I noticed a trend and I'm surprised that um we are going back to that again. For some times, it has gone down, but now we are going back to that place. And I want to send this message to the supporters of Mr. Peter Obi.

[00:01:54]The earlier they realize that this is not about Mr. Peter Obi, is about the country, the better for them.

[00:02:00]His Excellency Atiku Abubakar appeared on Arise Television a few days ago and he spoke his mind to the world, to Nigerians, and said, "I'm going to run. I'm not stepping down for anybody."

[00:02:12]The first thing they did was to twist it and be saying, "Atiku has stepped down for Peter Obi." That's it does not even But to now again mount sustained attack on the person of Atiku Abubakar is unheard of. It's unacceptable.

[00:02:30]It is.

[00:02:31]Because Atiku and Peter Obi today are members of the opposition.

[00:02:38]You [snorts] kept attacking the person of Atiku Abubakar as if he was Tinubu.

[00:02:44]Energies that should have been channeled on Tinubu so that when even if your person emerges, it will be seamless. It will be easier for you. And if Atiku wins, it will be easier and seamless for the opposition.

[00:02:59]But the they maintain a sustained attack on Atiku, not even any other person.

[00:03:04]Why is that?

[00:03:06]We don't need this negative energy.

[00:03:08]And I'm calling on Mr. Peter Obi to talk to his people.

[00:03:12]Because even if he gets the ticket of the party, it's going to work against him with what these people are doing.

[00:03:18]Two two things flow from what you just said now. Mr. Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State, has consistently maintained that the only life I'm using his word, not mine. The only life in opposition parties is Mr. Peter Obi. Forget about that noise maker.

[00:03:34]I just dismiss it.

[00:03:36]He's a noise maker. I repeat, Fayose is a noise maker. I don't agree with him.

[00:03:40]He knows. He's being used by APC to drive this These are the kind of noise they drove in the first instance.

[00:03:46]"ADC will not survive in 3 months." It was this Fayose. "Okay, give them 6 months." It was this Fayose. Now, "Oh, we can never see Obi and Atiku sit down together and Kokoso." Now they have sat together. It's this Fayose. He's a noise maker as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to I don't want to glorify him. But anyway, why is this why is this pushing this Peter Obi narrative?

[00:04:03]>> sponsored by because they know that Atiku will defeat them. It's the fear OF ATIKU ABUBAKAR. LET'S be honest here.

[00:04:09]This is the reality. Okay. SECOND IT'S THE FEAR OF ATIKU and they need to drive that, you know, to to to wind the head of Peter Obi himself and his people to be believing that he can do it.

[00:04:21]This same thing they did in 2023. Obi should know better now.

[00:04:24]Okay. Why why Why didn't he leave APC and support Peter Obi and campaign for Peter Obi and go and join Peter Obi in his in his drive? Why didn't he do that?

[00:04:32]If he's sure of what he's saying. Why are the supporters of Mr. Peter Obi They did a song. They released a song. They They composed a song that I heard this morning.

[00:04:41]Appealing, let me use the word appealing to His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to step down. That his Atiku's time has passed.

[00:04:47]He should step down for Peter Obi. And then Atiku's people the Atikulators also did their own song countering them. Is it Does this augur well for >> This is exactly what we are saying. This is what they do. This is what they do every time. And then and the Atikulate people are the most resilient people in this in the whole of this journey. If they had gone force for force with what the Obidients are doing, the whole of this thing would have scattered.

[00:05:13]I tell you, they are not as much as the supporter of Atiku Abubakar.

[00:05:19]All of these that are doing this thing are from the southern part of Nigeria, not even from the north.

[00:05:23]And Atiku has sizable number of supporters from the south. I don't even want to talk of the north.

[00:05:29]We know ourselves. We know ourselves.

[00:05:31]And of course, we know the real Obidients.

[00:05:34]So, as far as I'm concerned, that's what I just mentioned. Why this sustained attack? Why do you have to appeal to somebody who has an ambition?

[00:05:42]Why can't Peter Obi stand down for Atiku that brought him back to national political limelight when everybody has almost forgotten that he was a governor, the former governor?

[00:05:52]Why can't they say, "No, no, no, no."

[00:05:53]That's why I always say that he he's because he has no IOU in politics.

[00:05:57]If there was IOU in politics, Peter Obi would not be saying he wants to run against Atiku today.

[00:06:02]So, WHY CAN'T THEY TELL HIM, "OGA, pay this man back. He has done you a favor. Support him even if he's won.

[00:06:09]Give him your terms and support him. The very best pathway to to southeast presidency is Atiku Abubakar.

[00:06:17]No southerner can defeat Tinubu. I keep maintaining it.

[00:06:20]Because we have seen it in history.

[00:06:23]Tinubu should have gone against Jonathan in 2014.

[00:06:26]If it was that easy. But he went He doesn't like He wanted Buhari to come and face Tinubu.

[00:06:33]How do you respond to those who are claiming that it is this the south has four more years because there's this unwritten No, hold on, Demiji. Though it's it's not in our laws, but there's this gentleman's agreement that power would rotate between the north and the south. Buhari did 8 years.

[00:06:52]Demiji, you are from the south just like myself. Is it fair that after the north has done 8 years under Buhari, then after 3 years or 4 years of Tinubu, then the power rotates back to the north?

[00:07:01]Okay, where is the You are talking about You just mentioned fair. Where is the fairness?

[00:07:06]By the time Tinubu won't pass these 4 years. By the time he finishes 4 years, I will send him back to Lagos. South would have produced would have done 20 years. And north would have only done 10 years.

[00:07:16]So, where is the fairness you are they are talking about? Where is the fairness they are talking about?

[00:07:21]No, where is the fairness?

[00:07:23]A region has done 20 years. Another region has only done 10 years. And you are talking about fairness and justice.

[00:07:29]Where is it? I ask. And like I told you, I don't share I don't buy this idea of zoning. It doesn't work for me. Obasanjo was God president for 8 years. He couldn't fix Lagos-Abeokuta-Shagamu Road.

[00:07:43]If if if zoning has been that helpful, by now today would have been Paris of Africa, the Paris of Nigeria, or Dubai of Nigeria with President President President Jonathan as the president.

[00:07:55]Okay. Demiji, I want you to speak to the followers, the youths especially, of both VP former VP Atiku, the Atikulators, and the Obidients. Can you speak to them that this schism, this war of attrition will not augur well for this That's why I said we don't need this It's a negative energy, especially from the Obidients.

[00:08:15]No, even the Atikulators. Yes, they because they they react when it was becoming too much. That's why you saw them reacting. You will never see Atiku supporter throw this thing first.

[00:08:26]It's the Obidient that has consistently sustained this attack on Atiku Abubakar as if Atiku was the President Tinubu that is failing us is there. And you are misplacing your priority. And you are asking that even Peter Mr. Peter Obi who was standing in ministry to Atiku to step down for him. Why? Who does that?

[00:08:44]It's about ambition. And the man said, "I'm running." So, in any case, what is the problem? As an 80-year-old man, as an 80-year-old man, you are a 40-year-old man and I said, "Let's Let's go and Let's go and run 100-meter dash."

[00:08:55]Why are you afraid?

[00:08:58]At least they are saying Atiku is old.

[00:09:00]Why is Peter Obi and his people Peter Obi's people afraid for their for their boss to be on the 100-meter dash with Atiku against against Atiku Abubakar?

[00:09:08]Uh, Mr. Demiji, Yes. you know, I like your your your passion as usual. But we've seen opposition, you know, summits before. 2010, 2014, 2018, you know, some were okay. They succeeded. Some did not.

[00:09:25]Most did not actually. Um, what makes the Ibadan 2026 uh, political summit of of opposition parties? What what makes it different? Why do you think it has any chances of, you know, success considering all these, you know, internal schisms, crises I have highlighted? Whatever I see hap- Whatever is happening now moving towards the election are normal in politics.

[00:09:50]Mhm. Of course, you don't expect Tinubu to just sit down and let people push push him out. But Well, will push him out. It's not Atiku and all this one.

[00:09:57]It's the Nigerian people that will push him out because they've not had a very good experience with this government.

[00:10:03]So, what makes this one better is because of the mood of the nation right now.

[00:10:07]The mood of the country is such a bad one.

[00:10:11]Nigerians are dejected. They're not happy. It's It's the It's the same cries all over. So, and then I think Nigerians are now have now seen the reason why they have to take this people seriously.

[00:10:21]If you know the mileage, the ADC of the coalition have garnered since after after they know the money That's why you see them fidgeting and say attacking the the summits and some of the things that were like what Shehu Makinde said or not. They are So, so So, this one is going to work because it has now provided, you know, it has given Nigeria the You know, we can actually trust these people. They can do this.

[00:10:47]Even internationally, there have been reactions about, "Okay, I think Nigerian opposition are more serious than ever now." And there are more other things that will come in the next couple of days that will tell Nigerians that, "You know, that thing that there is the APC is saying that they will not they are not going to get it."

[00:11:02]Because ADC is going to work with Nigerians. And together with Nigerians, we are going to defeat them. Okay.

[00:11:09]Now, as we wind down, um President Tinubu last week said at the commission of the NRS headquarters building said anyone who cannot see his administration's achievements needs a pair of eye glasses. What do you say to this?

[00:11:24]Are you one of those who have who say he has not achieved anything? I don't know the achievement they are branding. How how do you >> Is it insecurity? Okay, where is What is the state of our security now? But the dollar >> What is the What is the state of our economy? The dollar is stable.

[00:11:36]>> What is the state of our economy? Is it just about >> Yeah, the they brought down inflation rate. How? To what? To 15.something.

[00:11:42]>> And because that book that is statistics bureau statistics rolled out is that is that the Is that Is that conversion with reality on ground? What are we talking about? They are still killing people as at few days ago in some parts of the country.

[00:11:55]So, what are we saying? What are we saying?

[00:11:58]The fuel is still over 1,000 naira per liter. Mhm. What are we talking about?

[00:12:05]This government has failed and abysmally, too.

[00:12:09]Mhm.

[00:12:10]Let's talk about insecurity. Now, you you and I like the fact that you went you went there.

[00:12:14]And let's just put numbers, you know, to the issue of insecurity.

[00:12:17]Just in the last 30 days alone, you know, more than 120 people have reportedly been killed in the northwest northwest of Nigeria or Nigeria.

[00:12:28]We heard that 49 villagers were massacred in Kebbi, in Kwara, in Benue, in Plateau. As we sit down here speaking, Demiji, there are about 417 Nigerians in captivity.

[00:12:37]>> yes. And the terrorists displayed on on national TV threatening to kill them Let me let me add let me add Hold on. Hold on, Demiji. We're now number fourth on the terror terrorism index. Yes. Global terrorism index.

[00:12:51]You know, in 2026.

[00:12:52]So, has the government done well? Has it abandoned the people? And that is should be asking Mr. President that anybody who has not seen his achievement should go and get a pair of eye glasses now. You But why don't Please, can you translate this so that people can hear?