As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, many top political leaders are joining forces to remove President Bola Tinubu from office. The ruling APC is feeling the heat as this coalition gains more support across Nigeria.
Reports say that major opposition figures and even some angry APC members are now working together to challenge the current government.
Among those leading the move are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-SGF Babachir Lawal.
The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralphs Okey Nwosu, is also involved in this plan to unite the opposition.
There is talk that Peter Obi might become Atiku Abubakar’s running mate for the 2027 election. The two had worked together in 2019 under the PDP but lost to President Buhari.
Many in the opposition believe the 2019 election was unfair. INEC, however, declared Buhari the winner with over 15 million votes, while Atiku got 11.2 million votes.
In 2023, Atiku and Obi ran separately—Atiku under PDP and Obi under Labour Party. Tinubu won the election, but the results were challenged in court.
Some analysts believe that if Obi had teamed up with Atiku in 2023, they could have gathered over 13 million votes and possibly won.
The growing unity among opposition leaders is making the APC nervous. To fight back, the ruling party is trying to bring in more governors and lawmakers to build a stronger team.
According to a source, APC has decided to give automatic tickets to all first-time governors for the 2027 election. This is to keep them loyal and help them win re-election.
This plan is making some opposition governors consider joining the APC. For example, the governors of Delta and Akwa-Ibom reportedly switched sides to avoid losing to stronger APC candidates backed by Tinubu.
The governors who join APC will also be allowed to choose who represents their state in the national assembly.
But the opposition coalition is already facing problems. One big issue is which party will lead the group. The ADC recently changed its rules to give new members like Atiku and Obi equal rights.
However, this move upset some original ADC members who don’t want to give up their positions to newcomers.
Also, SDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said he won’t step down for anyone in 2027.
Peter Obi added to the confusion when he said in a viral video that he would run again under the Labour Party.
But the Labour Party’s spokesperson said they are not part of any coalition and that there will be no automatic ticket for any candidate.
If Obi wants to run under Labour Party, he must go through primaries like everyone else.
Lastly, the Obidient Movement’s leader, Yunusa Tanko, said Peter Obi has not agreed to be Atiku’s running mate and still plans to run for president himself.
This shows that even though the coalition is strong, there are still many things to settle before 2027.
