2027: Uncertainty Over Opposition’s Battle Against Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu’s quest to retain power in 2027 may face a stiff challenge as key political opposition figures appear set to form a coalition to stop him from having a second term. In this analysis, ONWUKA NZESHI reviews the activities in the opposition in recent weeks but ponders on the feasibility of their plot to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC)

In recent weeks, some opposition figures have become emboldened in their criticisms against the current administration, an indication that they may be warming up for the battle to wrestle power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Sunday Telegraph observed that these opposition figures have launched ferocious attacks on Tinubu and the APC, accusing them not only of poor governance but also betrayal of the people’s mandate. In retaliation, the attack dogs of the ruling party have been barking and attacking these opposition figures. A number of them have been taken to the cleaners for daring to criticise the government of the day and the ruling party.

In the most recent altercation, it was the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who fired the first salvo when he took to his X (Twitter) handle and accused Tinubu of executing a policy of hounding the opposition in order to silence dissenting voices. He stated unequivocally that Tinubu and his henchmen were out to decimate the opposition camp before 2027.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 General Election accused the APC of pursuing a “systematic dismantling” of the opposition through the arrests and prosecution of critics of the Tinubu administration on frivolous charges. According to Abubakar, the recent arrest and prosecution of Omoyele Sowore and Usman Yusuf were the latest in the harassment of opposition figures.

“When I made the clarion call that Tinubu and the APC were devoting their energies to the systematic harassment, intimidation, and dismantling of the opposition, all in service of their grand design for a one-party autocracy, I became the target of vicious attacks.

“The arrest and baseless prosecution of @YeleSowore is the latest chapter in this unrelenting campaign. Now, they have seen fit to add Professor Usman Yusuf — an outspoken critic of this administration — into their grim roster. At the pace they are going, it seems they may soon find themselves contending with the incarceration of every one of us,” he tweeted.

As if these were not enough, Abubakar has openly accused Tinubu of attempting to buy up the political space ahead of 2027 through the alleged plot to compromise every formidable opposition political party with a Greek gift of N50 million each.

In a similar vein, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 General Elections, Mr Peter Obi has consistently criticised the Tinubu administration over certain policies that have negative impacts on the people. Obi who had never hidden his feelings about the perceived anti – people’s policies of the Tinubu administration is believed to be one of the strongest critics of the present government.

But the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el – Rufai, a founding member of the APC has also joined the fray. Earlier in the week, the former governor broke ranks with his party and launched a volley of uncomplimentary remarks about the state of the nation.

In a post on his X (Twitter) handle on Thursday, el- Rufai stated the APC and Nigeria currently faced “an existential crisis of monumental proportions,” a comment that has earned him not a few knocks from the ruling party.

The controversial ex-governor had earlier taken a swipe at APC, accusing it of abandoning its founding principles and fostering poor leadership. Some analysts have speculated that the current verbal war signposts that el- Rufai and APC might soon form part of the programmes.

Even the former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has also expressed his frustrations with his party, the APC over its policies and programmes. Amaechi, a foundation member of the APC had maintained low profile after he lost the presidential ticket to Tinubu in 2023. The former Minister of Transportation under the Buhari regime appears to have found his voice and usually delivers subtle criticisms.

In Osun State, South-West region of the country, opposition is building within the APC from unusual quarters. A former governor of the state and former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who is believed to be the ring leader of the rebellious group has just been shown the exit door by the APC Chapter in that state. The suspension of Aregbesola is significant given the fact that the ex- governor has been a close ally of President Tinubu for any years. The exit of Aregbesola shows that all is not well with the APC in Osun State.

Proposed coalition

There are some indications that some opposition figures are nursing the idea of forming a coalition to fight the APC and possibly chase it out of power.

Sunday Telegraph gathered that preliminary meeting has been going on in different locations but no concrete plans have been rolled out. However, what is sure is that there is a consensus among these opposition figures and groups that the APC must not be allowed to remain in power beyond 2027.

Many Nigerians who are dissatisfied with the policies and governance style of the APC are looking up to the PDP, the main opposition party to lead the battle.

Perhaps, it is in an apparent bid to live up to the expectations of these Nigerians that the leadership of the PDP have been making frantic efforts to put their house in order. The opposition party had been plagued by a leadership crisis since 2015 when it lost power to the APC. This leadership crisis has been at the root of the party’s successive electoral misfortunes. The internal squabbles among the contending forces in the PDP have become its albatross. Currently, the leadership of the party is divided between those loyal to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and those loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. So far, none of these two forces is prepared to back down in the fight for the soul of the party.

In spite of this buildup of opposition against the APC across the political spectrum, some analysts have said that the uprising might not amount to so much as long as President Tinubu and the ruling party maintained their old tactics of planting moles in the opposition camp ahead of the epic electoral battle in 2027.

Currently, the three main opposition parties, the PDP, LP and NNPP (New Nigeria People’s Party) are embroiled in one form of leadership crisis or the other. Some political analysts strongly believe that these internal crises plaguing the opposition were instigated by external forces and accusing fingers point to nowhere else but the ruling party in Nigeria.

Unless these internal squabbles within the opposition parties are resolved and the opposition figures are able to harmonise the positions, they cannot go far in the battle against the ruling party. These opposition figures must realise that the APC which was formed through the merger of the then opposition parties could not have defeated the PDP in 2015 if the key opposition figures in the merger did not sacrifice individual ambitions for the common good of the coalition. Those in the PDP today must also remember that if some leaders of the party did not defect to the APC in 2014, the APC could not have secured the historic electoral victory it got in 2015

Chief Okwezilieze Nwodo, a former chairman of the PDP and one-time governor of Abia State said possibility of mergers ahead of the 2027 elections cannot be ruled out.

“The formidable alignment within the party is getting stronger every day because wherever we go, Nigerians are asking us what we are doing and we have a lot of hope that the PDP gets it right, they’ll be hope for Nigeria, So, we are not sleeping, we are doing our best.

“That is very important because as it is. If Bola Tinubu was able to win this election when he was not President, now as he’s President, we’ll need all hands-on deck from every part of Nigeria to wrestle him down. So, our doors in the PDP are wide open, we want mergers, alignment and what have you, so, we’ll get politics and democratic good numbers. The more we are, the more likely we can wrestle them down.” But observers believe that even the government is not resting on its oars as it continues to strategise to retain power.

Source: New Telegraph