Major opposition political groups’ request for unification ahead of the 2027 general elections has been met with a range of opinions.
The call came from former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In the most recent presidential election, Abubakar represented the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) has come out in support of the call, but the Labour Party (LP) appears to be uninterested.
In 2015, former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, beat then President Goodluck Jonathan, all thanks to a merger by a number of opposition political parties.
Atiku is confident that the same trick will be required to defeat the APC in 2027.
We should forget about democracy altogether, as the truth is that it is rapidly becoming a one-party system in the United States. As a whole, we can attest to the fact that the APC is steadily transforming Nigeria into a one-party state.
Our democracy will suffer if we don’t band together to oppose what the ruling party is seeking to enact, and the fallout will be felt by future generations. There is more than one man involved in the effort to safeguard democracy in our country, he remarked.
A communication strategist in Abuja named Murkthar Suleiman agreed with him, saying that if the political opposition were to unite more effectively, they would be able to unseat Tinubu and the APC regime in 2027.
The combination will create a stronghold, Suleiman told MISMOB, thus it’s a smart idea. Should we have multiple political parties? Not really, but that seems to be where we are.
The only reason Buhari was able to win in 2015 was because to the bigger opposition he built. The incumbent is kept on their toes by a strong opposition, which sends the message that they face a formidable force in the next election and will almost certainly lose if they don’t play it safe.
On the one hand, I will state that it is beneficial and will aid in achieving the desired level of quality in our process of governance. If that coalition is done now, then Tinubu and the APC administration know that they are in for it in 2027, and if they are not careful, they would be expelled from office.”
Meanwhile, DAILY POST pointed out that selfish interests among the potential candidates for president in 2027 could provide a serious obstacle to the merger of opposition political groups before that year’s election.
Remember that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party (LP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), both rejected attempts to merge with Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the run-up to the 2023 election, paving the way for Tinubu’s victory.
Who will take the lead in the combined entity is a potential stumbling block to the merger.
There’s also the question of who will serve as the candidate’s running partner, and then there’s the question of what the party’s name will be.
“PDP is too much of a household name to just let go or be allowed to fade into obscurity; this will not be good for the party,” Suleiman told MISMOB.
However, he did make the point that a formidable Northerner should be the vice presidential nominee in the event that a South Easterner emerged as the coalition’s presidential candidate.
The election is a contest of votes, not feelings; the candidate with the most of them will be declared the victor. They should get a highly wealthy Northern candidate as a running mate if they field a Southern candidate, especially one from the South-East.
Because they need to be strategic and not emotional, they should merge under the leadership of someone the North can rally around.
He continued, “There is also the sentiment of the people who will go and vote; it needs to be taken into account, that is how the process works.”
Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer and rights activist based in Abuja, criticized Atiku’s proposal to merge as “selfish.”
He pointed out that in the year 2027, Tinubu would infiltrate the ranks of the opposition to make sure they were not united, making a merger impossible.
Adeyanju said to DAILY POST, “It’s a selfish call, Atiku is always concerned with fighting for public office.
He’s trying to use other key opposition players for his own gain by making the call, so you know it’s not coming from an honest place.
Before making such a call, he should leave politics, so that people will take him seriously. Until then, he is only showing off his intelligence for no good reason.
“They are basically dealing with someone that knows how to squash opposition. Tinubu has no strategy to ensure their continued existence within the hostile environment.
I don’t see any hope for the opposition in 2027; he’s going to compromise them, and he’s going to persuade more people to compete in 2027.
They could have worked together in the past election, but instead they let their pride get in the way.
When we called for unity, “the Atikus, Kwankwasos, Obis, and Wikes of this world refused to see reason.”
Mismob Media