2027: Only political parties, not their individual members, can defeat Tinubu, says Shekarau

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

 

Former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, Wednesday insisted that for the coalition against the Tinubu administration to succeed, the partakers have to be registered political parties and not individual members of political parties.

 

The former Governor made the clarification while reacting to misperceptions of his initial remarks on the subject, stating that at no time did he state or imply that Tinubu cannot be defeated by coalition elements in 2027.

 

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Sule Yau Sule, Shekarau recalled a previous attempt by individual presidential candidates, namely Tinubu, Buhari, Ribadu and himself to form a coalition in 2011, which did not work out largely because they pursued the process as individual candidates.

 

He recalled that in 2015, they decided to adopt a different approach, pursuing the process not as individual candidates or aspirants who had specific self interests to achieve but as representatives of their respective political parties.

 

He recalled that the three parties namely ANPP, ACN and CNC and APGA which later joined them, set up a 21.member committee each to join the coalition talk, noting that the staggering figure of 89 members from five registered political parties worked as a coalition team to midwife APC, which eventually defeated the PDP.

 

He restated his previous observation that none of the known and established political parties, with their elected members, was involved in the present coalition talk, stating that the PDP, LP and SDP have all made statements distancing themselves from the talk.

 

“As I said, it was not too late to engage and carry the opposition parties along because in the end, there has to be a common political platform upon which the opposition can contest elections and challenge a sitting government.

 

“My word of caution does not suggest pessimism; I am very optimistic that it will work,” Shekarau declared while insisting that with the correct vision, mission and focus, plus a sense of genuine righteousness, the opposition elements can defeat the APC administration of President Tinubu in 2027.