Fresh headaches for Atiku, El-Rufai, others over coalition - The Nation Newspaper (2025)

April 12, 2025 by Jide Babalola and AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

• Other parties should empty into PDP – National Secretary

• ‘Party’s governors focusing on re-election, not merger’

• Three PDP governors may join APC rather that go with coalition

• Atiku, El-Rufai, Tambuwal, others pay post-Sallah visit to Buhari

The prospects of a formidable opposition ahead of the 2027 presidential election are not looking good yet despite spirited efforts by its promoters to work out a coalition, an investigation has revealed.

Several issues, including zoning of the presidential ticket and the platform for contesting the election, are already giving the promoters of the deal cause for concern, it was learnt.

Notwithstanding, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State Malam Nasir El-Rufai and former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal are pushing hard to give their supporters some hope.

Yesterday, Atiku led other members of the group to pay what they called post-Sallah homage to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna.

But observers said it was all part of giving some semblance of progress in the coalition talks.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from which Atiku in particular hopes to draw much support for the coalition is already split down the line over the issue.

While top party leaders like the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara appear to back the idea of rallying the nation’s political opposition towards re-enacting the opposition success in Senegal and other places, other critical forces within the party are having none of it.

National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, told The Nation that it would be too far-fetched to assume that the party would be involved in any ongoing arrangements for a merger or political coalition for the 2027 presidential race.

“As far as I know, such issue (merger) has not come up for the PDP to discuss as a party,” he said.

“Besides, with PDP’s history, size and presence across virtually all local government areas across Nigeria, it is logical to expect that other political parties, including those ones that arrived yesterday, should empty themselves into the PDP; no party should expect PDP to join or follow,” he added.

Party sources said it was inconceivable that Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, both of whom are nursing presidential ambition, would encourage the party to join any coalition move.

Answering reporters’ questions after a four-hour closed-door meeting at Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja mid last year, Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, lashed out at those who were promoting such agenda.

“We are aware that there are some marauders hanging around somewhere, trying to factionalise our party and take one faction to go and do coalition (with another party); we are not going to allow that,” he said.

In a subsequent statement on June 4, 2024 entitled “We Are Not in Any Merger Talks with Another Political Party,” PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba emphasised that the National Working Committee of the PDP had taken a resolute position that formally foreclosed any possibility of merger with any other political party.

Ologunagba said: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after its 587th meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, restates for the umpteenth time that the PDP is not engaged in any merger, fusion or amalgamation talks with any other political party or interest.

Labour Party’s (LP’s) presidential candidate in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi, who appeared uncomfortable with Julius Abure as National Chairman, has now fully embraced the party’s National Caretaker Committee and his supporters are confident that he can have a fresh shot at the presidential race in 2027 on the party’s platform.

They do not see the need for him or the party to go into coalition with anyone where he may not stand a good chance of getting the ticket.

While Governor Bala Mohammed’s position against the coalition agenda is well known, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Atiku’s Adamawa state may be the most unlikely supporter.

Although he and Aiku belong to the same political party, PDP, many believe that Atiku’s support for APC governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, Aisha Ahmed Binani, contributed to her superlative electoral performance.

Now that three North East governors – Fintiri (Adamawa), Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) will not be seeking re-election after the completion of their second terms in 2027, much independence can be asserted.

Besides, Fintiri remains a strong loyalist and personal friend of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who has pledged to ensure President Tinubu’s re-election, but he accords Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the basic courtesy of his position as former Vice President.

In Gombe State, two former governors, Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who both exert much political influence, appear more likely to be focused on a return to the Senate.

In Plateau State, there are speculations that Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang may be one of the PDP chieftains contemplating a move to the APC before the 2027 elections.

While the SDP-led coalition is said to be making very little success in Delta State, there are increasingly loud whispers that Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori may be on his way to the APC.

Till date, other than the Benue State governor, Rev Father Hycinth Alia, who denied plotting to join the SDP, no state governor has been identified as a supporter of the opposition coalition.

Part of the factors adduced for explaining the success of the APC opposition coalition in 2015 was the vibrant support of some state governors, Senators and other influential politicians across the country before the APC was founded on 6 February 2013 – a clear two years before the subsequent general elections.

With only 678 days to the February 20, 2027 presidential elections today, opposition forces in Nigeria may be facing an uphill task in their agenda to unseat the APC in 2027.

Coalition talks doomed, says Bwala

In an interview posted on YouTube yesterday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Communications, Daniel Bwala, roundly dismissed the merger/coalition.

“Yes, I’m aware of the movement for a wild goose chase, a movement for the chase of a rabbit that is nowhere in sight; I’m aware of the association of aggrieved politicians who are desperate for power,” he said.

“The perceived coalition is going to be a silo where you’ll find different characteristics of politicians – there are some who are just aggrieved and want to be in power, there are those who have left power and cannot survive without it and there are those that have kept trying to get back into power while Nigerian people are saying that ‘we don’t want you’ and there are still others whose mission is based on sentiments.

“One peculiar thing is that none of them is anchored upon the national interest, they don’t push forward any logical argument to justify their coalition movement: normally, people in new political movements bring alternative programmes and policies if they think that the ones being implemented by those in government are not good enough, but for the past two or three months, they are only talking about themselves, none of them is talking about any serious policy,” Bwala stated.

Atiku leads El-Rufai, Tambuwal on Sallah homage to Buhari

Atiku’s visit came on the heels of a similar one on ex-President Buhari by governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former VP, who holds the title of Waziri Adamawa, said he could not come earlier as he had to stand in for the Lamido of Adamawa, Dr Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, during the Eid celebrations.

Details of yesterday’s discussions were not disclosed.

But Atiku said on his X handle that he had a “wonderful time” with Buhari.

He wrote: “As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations.

“Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour.”

Speaking on the visit, former Governor El-Rufai said, “We are here to pay Sallah visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari because I was not around during the Sallah period”.

Seen on a video recording of the visit were former Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami; former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam; and former Governor of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow, among others.

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