The camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have responded to criticisms from former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, and former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, over the newly formed coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
Both George and Shekarau criticised the coalition’s establishment and the concept of a mega party to take power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027, claiming that the action was motivated by personal ambition.
They also expressed concerns about the burgeoning alliance of opposition politicians vying for the roles of president and vice president, rather than an established political coalition.
The criticism came three days after Atiku, Obi, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others announced the creation of the coalition at a news conference in Abuja.
The official announcement of the coalition put an end to weeks of conjecture and doubt about the existence of such an arrangement.
It also came after El-Rufai defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party on March 10.
Other opposition leaders who attended the press conference included Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Yunusa Tanko, Obi’s media aide and Coordinator, Obidient Movement Worldwide; Peter Ahmeh, National Secretary, Coalition of United Political Parties; and Segun Showunmi, Convener of the Alternative, among others.
Leaders from the ruling APC, including former governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), as well as the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, were among those involved in the coalition but apologised for their absence.
In response, Atiku stated that the criticisms levelled by Shekarau and George did not concern them.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the former vice president, represented by his media aide, Paul Ibe, stated that the coalition has begun to make headway and will not be sidetracked by criticism.
“The coalition train has left the station. It’s going to stop at the stopovers, and people are going to get on board it. If Bode George and Shekarau want to get on board, they are at liberty to do so. Otherwise, they should just keep quiet.
“People like Bode George don’t know anything about the coalition. He knows nothing about it. So, he cannot speak to what he doesn’t know,” he stated.
Tanko, who spoke on behalf of Obi, stated, “We have coalesced and made our position known. As regards the issue in Rivers State, we have made our pronouncement. We are out for nation-building. If they have their own views and they are supporting what happens, that’s clear to Nigerians. But we are against it and have made our position known.
“Of course, you can see in all of the things that we had discussed when we had that presentation. They are all part of the conversation, and you can see we are talking to each other.”
Speaking on if the talk of a mega party has commenced, the politician said Nigerians would be informed when that was done. He said, “We should wait till when that particular announcement will be made known to everyone. I have said it before: when it’s time for that particular announcement to be made, it will be made.”
Mallam Salihu Lukman, the APC’s former National Vice Chairman (North-West), said the coalition was important to mobilise the opposition and prevent the country from becoming a one-party state.
Lukman said that with several political parties embroiled in internal squabbles and leadership crises, the current APC may be the only party contesting the 2027 election.
He said, “There are two sides to those statements. One, I can appreciate Bode George. George’s comment is coming from his optimism about believing that they can rescue the PDP. While in the case of Mallam Shekarau, on the other hand, it is simply contempt for the people who are part of the coalition.
“For many of us, I think it’s to appeal to everybody to understand that the country is at a critical stage because right now, where we are is that all the parties have been pushed into a state of oblivion, basically, a state of crisis that, at the end, we may end up not having parties that will contest the election, except perhaps the APC.
“If it is about parties, the coalition has not yet been formed. What I think has been expressed is a reflection of the commitment of people to form the coalition and settle on a political party platform to contest the 2027 election. That is what is being negotiated now.”
