By Augustine Akhilomen

Having failed in his previous attempts to win the seat of power in Aso rock, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 Presidential election and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains hopeful of actualizing his dream by yet again leading the opposition to slug it with the leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Atiku, who has become a household name in the political terrain after three failed attempts to be President since leaving the role of a Vice President under former President, Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007, is already spearheading the move for a genuine coalition.

He indeed, gave a glimpse of what is brewing in his congratulatory message after the Supreme Court upheld governorship elections in some PDP states. He declared readiness to lead a coalition of opposition parties to remove the ruling APC come 2027.

In a statement signed by his Media Office in Abuja, Atiku described the decision of the court as good news for the people of Bauchi, Plateau, Cross River and Zamfara states, and indeed, a win for constitutional democracy.

He reaffirmed his position that only a united opposition force can strengthen democracy in Nigeria. Atiku was quoted as saying, “I am as prepared as ever, to lead the charge, alongside all our leaders and Governors, for the good of our country.”

According to him, “Where Justice is seen to have been substantially rendered, we, as patriots and citizens, will always applaud.” Atiku equally said by the judgment of the Supreme Court, “there is a guaranteed continuation of the standards of good governance which the PDP has brought to the respective states.”

Interestingly, it would be recalled that some opposition figures as far back as 2021 initiated moves to form a Third Force to challenge the dominance of the ruling party and the major opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Also, prior to the Third Force Movement, a group of young presidential aspirants, including, Prof. Moghalu, Dr. Thomas Wilson-Ikubese, Omoyele Sowore, Fela Durotoye, Adamu Garba, Ahmed Buhari, among others had vowed to form an alliance against the APC and PDP ahead of the 2019 election which did not work.

For the 2023 election, apart from the #Obidient Movement, which propelled Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, the move to form a Third Force collapsed before the election.

The 2013 merger of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a part of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which formed a coalition of the APC and which eventually defeated the hitherto behemoth PDP in 2015.

With such a move on the cards ahead of the 2027 election, many political observers are still skeptical on how such a merger will defeat the ruling party that has the incumbency factor to counter whatever plans that may come in 2027.

However, in his reaction, Atiku, while hosting the National Executive Committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria, made a merger proposal to establish a strong opposition party that would be able to dislodge APC in 2027. The former VP who warned against the likelihood of Nigeria slipping into a one-party state was quoted as saying “We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party.

“If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn.”

It will be recalled also that after the Supreme Court verdict of October 26, 2023 that affirmed the electoral victory of President Bola Tinubu, Atiku said that he will not leave the political arena but will continue to struggle with other Nigerians to deepen our democracy.

“As for me and my party, this phase of work is done. However, I am not going to go away, if you think I am going to go away, forget about it,” the former Vice President said at a press briefing on Monday in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

“For as long as I breathe, I will continue to struggle with other Nigerians to deepen our democracy. I will continue to work for the return of political and economic restructuring that the country needs,” he said.

It is still early to know if Atiku will again be throwing his hat into the ring to join the race in 2027, but it is not impossible that he would want to lead a coalition against the ruling party.


But then, some observers have warned that for the coalition to succeed in dislodging the APC, the political gladiators must be willing to put aside their ambition and agree to choose a pragmatic candidate that Nigerians will be willing to support.


Sharing his thoughts with Thepledge, a political scientist, Professor Gbade Ojo said for the merger to work, the proponents must be able to produce a popular candidate from the merging parties.

“Mergers and coalitions are political means to deal with the ruling government and for a merger to work, it must be a kind of mini revolution. The parties that merge must be able to produce a popular candidate.

“If you produce a presidential candidate that is not popular, that does not respect informal power sharing, in terms of zoning and rotational presidency, it would not work,” he said.

Also commenting, renowned political scientist, Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge said the major challenge ahead of the merger would be that of the ego of the presidential candidates of the parties.

“Each of the (leading) candidates may want to emerge as the presidential candidate and they may not want to rally around one person. Also, the APC will not want this to succeed and three years is a long time for the ruling party to reach out and try to woo some of them,” he said.

However, the National Director-General of APC Professionals Council, Seyi Bamigbade has knocked the opposition parties in the country over its planned coalition ahead of 2027 general elections, declaring the move as dead on arrival.


Bamigbade, in his reaction, said the former vice president who had been routinely rejected by Nigerian voters severally, does not have the magic wand that would make him a sellable product before the masses.



The APC chieftain counseled Atiku to instead focus on having a happy retirement from the stage, as he would be over 80 years before the next election. He expressed the confidence that no amount of coalition would upstage the Bola Tinubu-led administration in the next election, saying Nigerians freely gave him their mandate to lead, which he said the president was carrying out with commitment and focus.

“By now, we believe the former vice president should be taking a deserving rest, having tried his best on the stage. He is not destined to lead the country and Nigerians have affirmed that when they rejected him in 2007, 2011, 2019 and 2023. His planned coalition will wield no magic wand. In fact, it is dead on arrival as the Nigerian people will still reject him again and again.”


As it is, it would be difficult for any of the existing political parties to defeat the APC in a national election. That is why observers are happy that there are moves by the different political persuasions to come together under one umbrella in a coalition, just like we had in 2015, to defeat the ruling party. It is however yet to be seen how far they can go in consummating this move. If they decide to drop their personal ambition and embrace the spirit of oneness, there is nothing they can’t achieve, but if they are holding on to their ambition, they should kiss Aso rock goodbye.

For sure, all eyes will be on Atiku to see if he will be willing to leave the stage for a more popular, acceptable and electable candidate. Atiku’s attitude to it will go a long way to assure other contenders that the future of democracy and the country is more important than their personal ambition.