OPPOSITION political leaders in the country on April 25, gathered in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to discuss how to work together to form a formidable team and work towards producing a single presidential candidate in their desire to wrestle power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come May 29, 2027. Devoid of political party affiliation, leaders at the meeting included the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former governors Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal, Rauf Aregbesola, and Olagunsoye Oyinlola, amongst several leading political figures in the country.
Tagged: ‘National Summit of Opposition Parties’ and hosted by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, speaker after speaker at the event spoke on the need by the opposition political parties to work together in order to defeat the behemoth that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has become. One sure way to achieving that aim is for all the political leaders to form a coalition and transform it into a strong political party.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is the special purpose vehicle through which the opposition political leaders aim to achieve their objective come 2027. It was therefore, not surprising, when most of the opposition figures left their old political parties for the latest bride in town – the ADC. Atiku Abubakar dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); Peter Obi left the Labour Party (LP); Rabiu Kwankwaso bid farewell to his New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), while Rotimi Amaechi, alongside Rauf Aregbesola, dumped the All Progressives Party (APC) to form the alliance.
At the end of the summit, the opposition figures came up with a nine-point communique. Top on it is for the alliance to work towards getting a single presidential candidate that would run against the incumbent, President Tinubu, whose tenure ends on May 29, 2027. However, political observers know that this is easier said than done. This is because four of the top opposition figures nurse a presidential ambition which may be difficult to jettison for the collective good of the coalition.
Indeed, personal ambition and collective dreams represent two distinct, often conflicting, approaches to achieving goals. Personal ambition is the internal drive to attain individual goals, such as career milestones, financial success, or personal growth – which can act as a catalyst for excellence and self-actualization. Conversely, collective dreams are shared, collaborative visions aimed at creating a larger, positive impact on society or within a specific team.
Since 1999, when he was selected by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to be his running mate during that year’s presidential election, Atiku Abubakar’s main ambition in life has been to become the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. During the build up to the 2003 presidential contest, he almost pulled the rug under the feet of his boss, Obasanjo, except for providence.
Since then, he has been on the ballot in the contest for the presidency but has not been lucky. At almost 80 years of age, (he would be on November 25th), Atiku has told his followers that the 2027 contest would be his last, and he is doing everything humanely possible in ensuring that he gets on the ballot for next year’s race.
Many political watchers are of the view that the ADC was his idea after the PDP became protracted due to litigations and factionalisation of the party. He came second in the 2023 presidential contest and the permutation now is that if all the opposition figures can work together, it would be very easier to push Tinubu out of the Presidential Villa.
Peter Obi, another strong opposition figure, is also interested in the office of the President, and is making conscientious efforts to be on the ballot. Having come third place during the 2023 presidential election, he and his Obidients Movement still believe that he won the 2023 election but was robbed of victory by the APC. He has promised to rule for only four years if elected into office. Rabiu Kwankwaso and Rotimi Amaechi are also eyeing the presidential seat in Aso Villa.
Few days after the Ibadan declaration, personal ambition seems to have triumphed over the collective good behind the formation of the ADC, as Obi and Kwankwaso have dumped the party and moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Citing internal crises and a political environment that he described as increasingly hostile to reform, Obi has shown once again, that he intends to be on the ballot come what may in 2027, and that the ADC may have, after all, been designed for Atiku’s presidential ambition.
Hours before his announcement, Obi and Kwankwaso held a closed-door meeting with leaders of the NDC at its national secretariat in Abuja. The gathering drew significant attention from supporters and political observers. Obi and Kwankwaso are most likely going to work together as Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates of the NDC.
Originally founded in 2017 but eventually registered in 2026 by court order, the NDC is the rescue ship in which Obi and Kwankwaso have now found accommodation. The party’s motto is “Service to the People.” Overnight, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso have transformed the NDC into a major opposition vehicle. The membership of the party has swelled to over 10 million and may grow exponentially in the coming weeks. Majority of those joining the NDC are political followers of both Obi and Kwankwaso, who had earlier decamped to the ADC.
On its website, the NDC advertises itself as a party that promises “to put the needs of the people first in all we do, to govern with integrity, and deliver measurable results that improve the lives of citizens, with a commitment to environmental justice, human rights, security, the rule of law, the empowerment of youth and women, building human capacity, inclusive opportunity, industrialization, true federalism, affordable housing, national infrastructure, transportation, and transparency and accountability. While these are at best, familiar slogans, the party must hasten to draw up a detailed manifesto on all the key questions at play in a language accessible to the electorate, project its brand, and mobilise the electorate.
A possible Obi-Kwankwaso ticket could create a powerful regional balance combining Obi’s strong support amongst urban youths, southern voters, and the middle class with Kwankwaso’s deep northern grassroots appeal. Such an alliance may also help reduce the regional and ethnic divisions that weakened the opposition in 2023.
What is playing out now is essentially what Aminu Tambuwal, former Governor of Sokoto State, had prayed against during the ADC National Convention held in Abuja last month. At the convention, Tambuwal had warned that the ambition of the leading presidential aspirants in the party could derail it if they failed to put their individual ambitions in check.
Addressing party leaders and delegates, Tambuwal emphasised the need for the aspirants to put the collective interest of the party above their individual ambitions. In a subtle but direct admonition to them, he spoke directly to the presidential aspirants who were also seated in the hall. Hear him: “The next set of people I will appeal to are those sitting here. When we started, it was not possible. They could not come together. But today, in this hall, Vice President Atiku Abubakar is seated. Today, in this hall, Peter Obi is seated. Today, in this hall, Kwankwaso is seated, and today, Rotimi Amaechi is also seated, along with many other leaders.”
He continued: “It is about unity of purpose and ambition for this country. It is not about an individual. It is about our vision and collective desire to rescue Nigeria’’
Now, it is quite glaring that the ambition of the individuals he mentioned far outweighs the collective good they all desire for the nation. With Obi and Kwankwaso out of the ADC coalition, the coast is increasingly becoming clearer that Tinubu may have an easy ride back to power next year.
Nigeria’s electoral history demonstrates that when opposition forces coalesce effectively, they can alter the balance of power. The 2015 general elections which led to the defeat of an incumbent administration, remains a reference point in this regard. In that election, Tinubu dropped his presidential ambition to rally the late Muhammadu Buhari to emerge as the presidential candidate of the then opposition political party, the APC. He was offered the Vice-Presidential ticket but declined, and nominated Professor Yemi Osinbajo in his stead.
He patiently waited for eight years after which he was bold enough to adopt the emilokan slogan, when the party seemed set to deny him the ticket. Are the crops of opposition political leaders in the country telling the nation that they cannot work together if they are genuine in their intention of saving the nation from Tinubu and the ruling APC?
Now that it is clear that the opposition politicians cannot work together, the APC and its leaders have had a field day mocking them and having a good laugh at their inability to forge a common bond.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, presiding on the floor of the Senate, jokingly said that the ADC is dead, as most Senators, who had earlier decamped to the party last week, wrote again to the Senate leadership of their desire to jump ship to the NDC, which is gradually assuming the posture as the new leading opposition party.
The spokesperson of the APC, Felix Morka, has also dismissed Peter Obi as “a political rolling stone that gathers no moss…roaming again in search of free, uncontested, unchallenged presidential ticket”. He went on to describe him as someone that is never willing to remain to build any party. “Fare thee well, Nigeria’s inconsolable political drifter…” he jabbed.
With the opposition political leaders unable to work together, history is about to repeat itself. With all of them saying that President Tinubu’s administration is a disaster and that having him at the helm of affairs for another term of four years would be irredeemably catastrophic for Nigeria, it is a shame that they cannot work towards a united front needed to unseat Tinubu in 2027. It appears that none of them is willing to put his money where his mouth is, or to subordinate his presidential ambition to the common goal of unseating Tinubu. Votes would be split amongst them and pave the way for another four-year term for President Tinubu.
Indeed, personal ambition, at times, does triumph collective dreams and aspirations.
See you next week.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.