Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have heightened consultations with regional and political power blocs as part of ongoing moves to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
okay.ng reports that this development has triggered a counter-response from groups loyal to the President, who have equally begun meetings with influential political and religious leaders to consolidate support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The coalition platform, operating under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was formally unveiled in July and includes prominent political figures such as former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Since then, the group has embarked on nationwide consultations, spanning Lagos, Imo, Oyo, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, and Borno states.
Last week, Atiku visited the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Ali Isa Pantami. While Pantami claimed their discussions focused on governance, education, and the economy, sources close to the talks suggested the coalition agenda was central to the meeting.
Atiku also met former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and former chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change. On the same day, he hosted political stakeholders from Borno, led by Mohammed Kumaila, to deliberate on worsening insecurity in the North. Earlier, he conferred with Attahiru Bafarawa, a former Sokoto State governor.
Similarly, Obi has been holding a string of high-profile meetings. On Monday, he met Pantami, and by Tuesday, he engaged a faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, led by Oba Oladipo Olaitan. On Sunday, he, alongside coalition leaders, visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta and called on the Olubadan designate, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
Obi also met former President Goodluck Jonathan, describing him as “a dear elder brother, statesman, and leader” after what he termed a “fruitful closed-door meeting” in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Nasir El-Rufai recently visited Imo State, where he engaged political, religious, and traditional leaders, including the traditional ruler of Nekede, Eze Stephen Kemjika Agumanu IV, and former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Nnaemeka Maduagwu.
Media aides of the coalition leaders have maintained that the engagements are focused on grassroots empowerment. Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, insisted: “It is not about the ambition of the former vice president. It is about the demands of the time. Nigeria is at a crossroads and there is an urgency about the situation.”
However, groups supporting Tinubu have responded aggressively. The Concerned All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders disclosed that consultations have been concluded in the North-East and are now extending to the North-West. According to spokesperson Abdullahi Dauda, former Kano governor Ibrahim Shekarau and several first-class emirs are already lined up for meetings.
Dauda emphasized: “In every state, we will first engage the traditional rulers. We will visit the palaces of the emirs to introduce ourselves, show them the projects President Tinubu has carried out and present what his administration has in plan for our people.”
In the South-West, the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA) insisted that the coalition posed no significant threat. Its chairman, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, described opposition consultations as “grandstanding without substance.”
The Grassroots Movement for Tinubu, active in Ondo State, said it had activated structures in all 18 local governments to consolidate support, while its Director-General, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, revealed plans to engage former Ondo governor Olusegun Mimiko and Afenifere elders.
