As efforts intensify to unseat President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress has declared that he will secure re-election in 2027.

APC spokesperson, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed the coalition formed by opposition figures as “dead on arrival.”

Several insiders within the group confirmed plans to adopt the African Democratic Congress as their political vehicle, aligning with earlier reports (by The Punch).

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, and other PDP leaders criticised the ruling APC, calling it a failure.

In a communiqué released after their meeting at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, the coalition stated, “The APC government, which came into being on the false and evil propaganda to save Nigeria from PDP is now a disaster to our nation and therefore must be voted out of power.”

The statement, signed by David Mark, urged both PDP members and Nigerians to rally behind the coalition to defeat the APC in the 2027 election.

Alongside Atiku and Lamido, notable PDP figures at the meeting included former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus; ex-governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi).

Also present were Senator Ben Obi, former PDP National Women Leader Josephine Anenih, former National Organising Secretary Senator Austin Akobundu, former National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, and former National Youth Leader Abdullahi Maibasira.

The Tinubu administration has faced intense criticism over the worsening economy and insecurity.

Paradoxically, the main opposition parties—PDP, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, and Social Democratic Party—have also been plagued by internal conflict.

On March 20, Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others unveiled a coalition in Abuja, igniting a nationwide conversation about a unified opposition.

For months, speculation surrounded the coalition’s political platform. However, on May 19, The PUNCH reported exclusively that the ADC had been chosen.

Sunday PUNCH had earlier reported that the ADC was selected as the coalition’s platform, with Senator Mark appointed as interim chairman ahead of the official announcement.

At the conclusion of their meeting, the coalition released a communiqué stating, “The meeting encourages all well-meaning PDP members and other patriotic Nigerians to join the coalition.

“All coalition partners must be united on the issues of national unity, democracy, national security and national economy and the political will to stamp out corruption embedded in our institutions.

“The coalition partners to work out the modalities of winning all elections, taking into consideration local and national peculiarities.”

According to the communiqué, the Concerned PDP Leaders convened to address the party’s current challenges.

They voiced concern over the party’s instability following its 2023 election loss and the removal of Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman.

It added, “Vested interests from within and the irresponsible actions of the APC-led Federal Government, which has been using state institutions to stifle and destroy Democracy, know no bounds!

“The inability of PDP leadership to lead the party by its Constitution, rules and regulations led it into a chaotic and undisciplined Party!

“The vision of the founding fathers for which the party was established and the role it played in restoring Nigeria as stable and united country and key player on the regional, continental, and global stage has been washed away just as our roles as the leader of the black race is now overtaken by smaller and less endowed countries.”

Mark, Atiku, and other PDP stakeholders lamented the country’s decline, describing it as weakened and internationally embarrassing.

In the communiqué, they stated, “All indices of development that support the comfort and quality of life of the citizens have collapsed, and life is now hell in Nigeria.

“The PDP, which is organic with the discipline, capacity, and history to lead and save Nigeria, is now a shadow of its old self. The heat wave unleashed by the APC Federal government through threats, blackmail and patronage has forced elected officers in government to abandon the PDP.”

A source at the meeting told The PUNCH that many PDP leaders had decided to support the ADC candidate while maintaining their PDP membership.

He explained, “You see, in the meeting, we discussed the state of the PDP and how the party can no longer effectively lead the opposition.

“So, we resolved to form a personal alliance with the ADC. What this means is that some of us will remain in the PDP while working for the victory of the ADC presidential candidate.

“I can confirm to you that the ADC will be unveiled as the coalition’s political party platform tomorrow (today) here in Abuja. Some PDP leaders will defect, while others will remain in the party.”

Efforts to contact PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and National Chairman Umar Damagum were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.

Reacting, APC Director of Publicity Bala Ibrahim said the opposition leaders had failed before and would lose again in 2027.

He stated, “The fact that they are meeting in hotels or places at night without any fear means the APC government has improved the security situation of the country. It means the power system of the country has improved. It has improved so well that they don’t have any fear of insecurity, nor do they have any fear of power failure.

“The atmosphere provided by the APC administration for the freedom of association peacefully in itself is a pointer to the improvement.

“The government will continue to provide a favourable atmosphere for them to meet and discuss freely without any harassment, but they are not likely to give any fear or scare to the APC because they are dead on arrival.

“But the coalition is a waste of time. Is it dead on arrival? Yes. It’s dead on arrival. All of them are doing it for selfish reasons and not in the interest of Nigerians.

“I said the coalition is dead on arrival because it’s composed of people who were defeated politically, defeated ideologically, and they will be defeated again collectively in 2027 by our party’s candidate.”

Meanwhile, Benue South Senator Abba Moro described the Abuja meeting of opposition leaders as a gathering with a national objective.

In a conversation with The PUNCH, Moro said the participants were respected statesmen and political figures.

He said, “These are senior and elder statesmen and political leaders in the country. I want to believe that they know what they are doing. I think this is part of the general trend in the country now, a season of alignment and realignment to achieve a political purpose.”

In a separate discussion, PDP chieftain Segun Sowunmi said that with the recent resolution of the party’s National Secretary dispute, PDP is now positioned to focus on the upcoming political contest.

Speaking on the Atiku-led meeting, he said, “It is their right to meet as many times as they like. The PDP is a party grounded on rules, procedures and history. Now that the PDP has resolved the issues of secretaryship, the party is now able to concentrate and let those who love to meander about keep doing their thing while the party plans.”

In related news, Sola Fasure, media aide to former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, endorsed the Tuesday meeting between Atiku and PDP leaders.

He described it as “a good indication of progress,” adding that it reflects efforts to unify the opposition ahead of 2027.

He said, “The information from the coalition is that Aregbesola is the coordinator for the South West. So, nothing has changed. You can see that the coalition is coalescing. They are still coming together.”

Fasure also discussed the support for Peter Obi’s single-term presidency proposal, saying it resonates with the coalition’s leadership.

“Every individual have their own dream and aspiration. I think I heard Obi saying something about tackling the security crisis and strengthening the Nigerian economy and all that. There is no one in the coalition who doesn’t share that vision,” he stated.

He ruled out internal competition, noting that the coalition is united by shared goals rather than personal ambition.

“It is not a competition. What Obi said is what all of them equally subscribed to. So, none will disagree with the vision. Individual interest is also part of politics — you can’t take it out. Politics is actually an interaction of collective and individual interests,” he explained.

He added, “What we are witnessing is a realignment of forces to form a formidable opposition. You must have noticed that Tinubu has virtually destroyed the political party system in the country. Now, you really cannot tell which one is the ruling party or opposition.”

He stated that the political unrest reflects broader efforts to build a coherent opposition.

“Everything going on now is about fashioning out a clear-cut opposition. It’s a fundamental rule of power. Let us see how it goes,” he added.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, expressed confidence in the coalition’s direction.

He said, “The coalition is still ongoing. We will tell Nigerians our position.”

Commenting on Atiku’s PDP stakeholder meeting, he declined to speak on internal party matters.

He said, “I don’t want to get involved in PDP affairs. I am not their party member and can’t speak for them. I am in Adamawa at the moment.”

Lawal also weighed in on Obi’s single-term proposal, describing it as a political tactic to be evaluated by voters.

“Politicians have their strategies and plans. It’s not an issue. Even Buhari, whom some expected to do just four years, ended up completing eight,” he remarked.

Credit: The Punch