2027: Opposition Must Unite To Defeat Tinubu, Says Okonkwo

Former Labour Party chieftain and spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 Presidential Campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has warned that the opposition may struggle to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election unless its major political forces unite behind a single candidate.

Okonkwo said allowing several opposition candidates to contest separately would split the votes that could otherwise be consolidated against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He spoke in an interview with Ibeju Upgrade Media while reacting to the possibility of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, contesting against Tinubu and reports of a possible Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso ticket.

According to him, no opposition candidate, including Obi, has sufficient strength to defeat the incumbent without a broader political alliance.

“Coalition is the only way out,” Okonkwo said, urging opposition parties and political actors to put aside individual ambitions and work towards a common presidential ticket.

He specifically dismissed the prospect of Obi defeating Tinubu on his own.

“So, if Peter Obi goes against Tinubu alone, Tinubu will eat him like biscuits,” he said.

Okonkwo also questioned Obi’s ability to secure substantial support in Kano State, where the former Anambra governor contested in the 2023 presidential election.

“Will Kano people accept Peter Obi? In 2023, when we had the opportunity, they did not accept him. In 2027, they will not accept him,” he said.

On Kwankwaso, Okonkwo dismissed claims that the former Kano State governor would significantly strengthen an Obi-led ticket.

“Kwankwaso has nothing to contribute to the ticket. Even in Kano, Kwankwaso has lost,” he said.

His comments come amid renewed efforts by opposition politicians and groups to build a coalition capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 presidential election.

The G100 Opposition Coalition, led by former APC chieftain Salihu Lukman, has intensified consultations with opposition leaders and political actors on the possibility of presenting a single candidate against Tinubu.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also endorsed the G100 process as efforts continue to build a broader opposition alliance.

The push for a united opposition follows the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, when Tinubu won with more than eight million votes, while Atiku and Obi each polled more than six million votes.

The result exposed the challenge of opposition fragmentation, as the votes secured by Atiku and Obi were split between two major candidates rather than consolidated behind one challenger to the APC.

Subsequent efforts to unite the opposition have been affected by disagreements over leadership, presidential ambitions, ticket arrangements and the choice of a common standard bearer.

The realignment intensified after Obi and Kwankwaso moved into the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where they have emerged as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Their emergence on the NDC platform has placed them apart from the opposition arrangement around Atiku and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), raising the prospect of multiple major opposition tickets challenging Tinubu in 2027.

While the NDC is projecting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a strong national combination, Atiku remains the ADC’s presidential candidate.

The development has renewed the debate over whether the opposition’s leading figures can set aside their individual ambitions and unite behind a single ticket capable of combining their regional and voter bases.

The ADC, however, has maintained that Atiku does not necessarily need a coalition to defeat Tinubu, highlighting the continuing disagreement among opposition forces over whether a single presidential candidate is essential for victory in 2027.

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