- Opposition leaders Atiku, Obi, and El-Rufai are considering a coalition for the 2027 elections
- All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed the opposition alliance as an unlikely threat to Tinubu’s re-election
- TheRadar analysed the possibility of an opposition alliance successfully challenging President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid
While President Bola Tinubu has not officially announced his re-election bid, it is widely speculated that he is aiming for a second term - unless he wants to set an unprecedented record.
Recently, there have been reports that several key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar (PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate), Peter Obi (Labour Party), and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, are in advanced talks to form a new political party or join an existing one ahead of the 2027 elections.
APC mocks opposition's strategy to Tinubu’s re-election
In response, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence, dismissing the possibility of an opposition alliance threatening Tinubu’s re-election.
National Publicity Director of APC, Bala Ibrahim said, “It is a dream gone wrong. All over the world, you don’t add up the total votes in an election and hope to use it to topple the votes of the winner. No! You don’t do that. A smart winner always capitalises on that to create a crack within the opposition. This is because each candidate is aspiring to win.
“It’s a case of the simple majority providing the winner so far as he meets the requirement and whatever percentage is needed. So, if this is what they are relying upon, then we start celebrating 2027 because they are going to be defeated again. They will be severely beaten.
“We are happy they are learning lessons from the superior antics of the ruling APC. Now that they have admitted they are learning from those lessons, they should wait for new tutorials in 2027. As a matter of fact, the APC has opened a Progressive Institute where they can come with their books and biro to learn more about progressivism.”
Personal ambitions of opposition leaders could hinder alliance
The APC’s reaction followed a statement from Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, who suggested that Atiku and Obi, having learned from their previous defeats, would unite to challenge what they called the "incompetent and clueless" APC government.
However, there are concerns that forming a successful opposition alliance could be difficult. Many political analysts warned that the key challenge will be selecting a single presidential candidate to represent the coalition.
If opposition leaders cannot agree on a candidate, the alliance could quickly fall apart. Additionally, some feared that the personal ambitions of major political figures might make it hard for them to work together, especially if they are unwilling to drop their individual presidential aspirations.
Despite the growing discussions, it is still too early to predict the success of any opposition alliance. Also, the ruling APC, fully aware of the potential impact of such an alliance, is likely to be well-prepared and may take any step to prevent it from succeeding.
2027: How Tinubu’s economic policies can cost him re-election, SDP Chairman Gabam warns
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chairman Shehu Gabam warned that President Tinubu’s economic policies, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, may harm his chances in the 2027 election.
Gabam criticised the government’s suppression of opposition voices, likening the leadership style to that of an emperor, which could undermine democratic processes.