Former Labour Party chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has emphasized the necessity of a coalition among opposition parties ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, warning that no single candidate can defeat President Bola Tinubu on their own.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, Okonkwo stated that neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar alone has the strength to unseat Tinubu. He stressed that the 2027 election would be “a stroll in the park” for Tinubu if the opposition remains divided.
Okonkwo recalled the 2015 election, where former President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated due to a united front by opposition elites in 2014. “No single candidate can beat alone by whatever name you are called. And the reason is this, in Nigeria, we have entered into the unfortunacy that you will not only win, but you have to secure your victory,” he explained.
He added, “So, you need the elites to secure your victory, even if the people vote for you. If the elites come together, like they did in 2014 to confront Jonathan in 2015, they were able to secure their victory when the people voted for them. If they were not together, they wouldn’t have been able to secure their victory.”
While coalition talks often focus on Obi and Atiku, Okonkwo expressed uncertainty about who will lead the alliance but affirmed, “there will be a coalition. Why? Because that will be the only choice the opposition have to make it at the moment. If there is no coalition, Tinubu is unbeatable.”
