• How we’ll dislodge Tinubu, APC -Coalition

From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja and Chinelo Obogo

The newly formed coalition of opposition leaders which adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its preferred platform is already experiencing internal tensions that threaten to derail it before the 2027 general elections, Daily Sun has learned.

The coalition conceived to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) is split into two camps. On the one side are those supporting former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, while on the other are supporters of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi. There are also smaller splinter groups supporting former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi who also has presidential ambition. 

The bone of contention between both camps is who should emerge the standard bearer. Atiku’s camp is confident that the former vice president has the financial war chest and machinery to win any type of primary election that would be conducted, whether direct or indirect. His strategists believe they can mobilise resources across all six geo-political zones effectively.

Daily Sun learnt that in a calculated move at the beginning of May, Atiku’s camp offered Obi the vice presidential slot on the coalition ticket. However, at the time this proposal was made, Obi had not provided a definitive response.

“It would be in the interest of the South East if Obi agrees to be Atiku’s VP just like in 2019. If he agrees, Atiku would run for one term and hand over to him. This arrangement would guarantee the South East the presidency after decades of waiting,” a high-ranking source within the coalition told Daily Sun.

Meanwhile, Obi’s camp is advocating a consensus arrangement that would see the South East region supported to produce a president. This proposal reflects the long-standing agitation from the South East which had always argued that the region has been marginalised since the return to democracy in 1999. Obi’s supporters argue that this arrangement would demonstrate the coalition’s commitment to equity and fairness.

Daily Sun’s sources reveal that while the former Anambra governor has kept his cards close to his chest, he remains optimistic that those involved in the coalition would agree to a consensus where he would emerge as the party’s candidate. His supporters point to his performance in the 2023 election where he was able to secure millions of votes on a new platform and without a political structure. Also, during a recent conversation on X, Obi stated that if the coalition gives him a condition to serve one term, he would accept it and make the most out of it to move the country forward

“Obi has left his options open. No one can say with certainty whether he would accept to be Atiku’s VP or what he would do if he doesn’t emerge as the ADC’s candidate. But one thing is sure, he has positioned himself strategically to respond to whatever direction the coalition takes,” a reliable source close to the former governor told Daily Sun.

However, the Obidient Movement, which emerged as a powerful grassroots force during the 2023 elections, maintains that Obi’s appeal transcends regional and ethnic boundaries, making him the best candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu.

Despite the ongoing negotiations within the coalition, Aisha Yesufu, prominent member of Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign organisation, said on her X handle that he has not left the Labour Party. She clarified that the ADC was chosen simply as the coalition’s platform for the 2027 election, not as an indication of Obi’s defection.

•‘How we’ll dislodge Tinubu, APC’

Leaders and patrons of the opposition coalition have sensationally revealed that they would capitalise on the anti-Tinubu sentiment in the north, especially, to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Tinubu in 2027.

This is even as indications emerged over the weekend that the coalition of opposition parties would be fielding a presidential candidate of northern extraction to slug it out with the APC at the polls in 2027.

Although some of the leaders and patrons of the ADC who spoke to Daily Sun were reluctant to reveal their strategies beyond the anti-Tinubu sentiment in the north, one of them revealed in Abuja that arrangements were being perfected to reach out to some former and serving northern governors and lawmakers who appear disenchanted with the current state of affairs within the APC, with a view to having them support the opposition, even if they were not going to defect formally to the coalition.

“So far, we have realised that the president and his handlers appear not to have learnt from the pitfalls that caused the fall of the PDP in 2015, as they are already moving in that direction.

“I can confirm to you that more chieftains of the PDP and APC will soon leave to join us. But there are others who may remain behind. And we are discussing with them to remain behind because of the fear of persecution from the presidency. I can tell you that even if they remain in the APC till 2027, they won’t help the APC win the election. So, to answer your question directly, that is how we will dislodge the APC and the incumbent. Afterall, it happened in 2015,” the source added.

Meanwhile, there are strong indications that the opposition presidential candidate will come from the north. Sources told Daily Sun that the opposition believed that they have more “presidential materials” from the north that would appeal to Nigerians than there are in the south.

“We want to win election. It is about tact; it is about strategy. Majority of us are of the view that if we field a northern candidate, it would be easier for us to defeat President Tinubu and his party, than going to the south. We don’t seem to have a strong Yoruba man that can match Tinubu,” the source said.

•North-East, North-Central & South-East factor

But another member of the opposition, who incidentally was the former Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice of Benue State, Alex Adum, told Daily Sun in an exclusive interview that the opposition was yet to decide where the presidential candidate would come from, insisting that all those who have presidential ambitions have been asked to keep such aspiration at bay for now.

He was however quick to add that if President Tinubu, a southerner, as opposition leader in 2015, could lead the battle to dislodge a fellow southerner (Jonathan), while replacing him with a northerner (Buhari), there was nothing that stops the current opposition from doing the same thing, adding that “power is not shared until we win it. Whoever wins the confidence of the coalition and Nigerians is the one that we would field.”

Adum further said “this is my personal view, when former President Jonathan was removed, who led the charge? President Tinubu, right? Both of them are from the south. But he supported former President Buhari, a northerner, who did two terms. Did the APC zone the presidency to the south where Jonathan hails from? They were not bound to do that. So, we are also not bound to zone to the south as well.

“In 2023, Tinubu was not the preferred candidate of the majority of APC. Many preferred Osinbajo to him. But he won and went ahead to win the presidential election. That is the wish of the electorate. What they saw in him; others did not see it. So, for me, discussing where our presidential candidate will come from at this point is a distraction.  When we get to the bridge, we will cross it.

“But I can assure you that we will be looking at competence, capacity and capability- so the person can come from any part of the country and any religion. We are not going to be insensitive though. If we have a southern Muslim, we will balance with a northern Christian. If we have a northern Muslim, we will balance it with a southern Christian. We have six geo-political zones, three have produced presidents, while three have not. We will be taking into consideration the South-East, North-Central and North-East that have never produced the president before. So, it can come from any of the three,” Adum said.