As Nigeria edges nearer to the 2027 normal elections, President Bola Tinubu is encountering mounting resistance from inside his personal political base. Allies of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, as soon as united below the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the moment are coalescing with opposition figures in a bid to dam Tinubu’s re-election ambitions.
What started as low-key discontent throughout the APC has developed into open defiance, with outstanding figures like former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Secretary to the Authorities of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi and Abubakar Malami now aligning towards Tinubu. Additionally becoming a member of the rising opposition entrance are former APC Nationwide Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and different influential Buhari-era associates.
This group has discovered a brand new political platform within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), controversially putting in former Senate President David Mark as interim nationwide chairman and ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.
The rift throughout the APC isn’t new. Whereas Tinubu was instrumental in Buhari’s historic 2015 victory—leveraging his South-West political equipment and alliances with key northern figures—relations have since frayed. Tinubu’s 2023 marketing campaign, described by him as a “lifelong ambition,” noticed him clinch the presidency regardless of inside celebration opposition, a contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket, and widespread public skepticism.
His poor displaying in Buhari’s conventional strongholds—Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina—underscored cracks within the once-solid APC coalition. One of the vital notable fallouts got here when El-Rufai, initially nominated for a ministerial publish, was dropped attributable to a detrimental safety report. The political breakup was swift and public, with El-Rufai quoted in Might saying, “Forgive me for bringing this evil Tinubu to energy in 2023. It gained’t occur once more in 2027.”
El-Rufai has since joined the Social Democratic Social gathering (SDP) and is reportedly main efforts to forge a broad opposition alliance comprising the ADC, PDP, SDP, and disgruntled APC members. Key political heavyweights reminiscent of Atiku Abubakar, Sule Lamido, David Mark, Aminu Tambuwal, Babachir Lawal, and Amaechi are stated to be concerned on this coalition.
Nonetheless, the coalition faces inside challenges. Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, has dismissed the brand new management construction as illegitimate. “The coalition is coping with individuals whose tenure expired in 2022. We’re watching with amusement,” he stated.
Regardless of the mounting strain, Tinubu stays defiant. A senior presidential aide, talking anonymously, famous that the president is “unfazed” and actively remodeling his political alliances. “Bear in mind 2023? He survived the backlash. Don’t write him off,” the aide stated.
There are additionally reviews that Tinubu could also be contemplating a change in his 2027 operating mate, with Kano’s Rabiu Kwankwaso rising as a attainable alternative for Vice President Kashim Shettima—an effort to strengthen his northern base.
In the meantime, not all of Buhari’s former allies are turning their backs on Tinubu. A faction of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) a legacy celebration that merged into the APC has declared unwavering help for the president. Assembly just lately in Abuja, the group included notable figures reminiscent of:
- Dr. Tajudeen Abbas (Speaker, Home of Representatives)
- Governor Dikko Radda (Katsina State)
- Governor Umar Bago (Niger State)
- Minister of Overseas Affairs, Maitama Tuggar
- Former Governor Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa)
- Former Governor Aminu Masari (Katsina)
- NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa (retd.)
Talking on behalf of the group, Hon. Farouk Adamu affirmed their continued loyalty. “We’re with Tinubu, identical to our chief Buhari. He will probably be our candidate once more in 2027,” he said.
The opposition coalition might hope to copy the 2015 political upset that toppled a sitting president by way of a united entrance. However Tinubu—recognized for his strategic resilience—has weathered comparable storms earlier than. With the PDP nonetheless grappling with inside fractures and the APC going through rise up inside, Nigeria’s 2027 election is shaping as much as be a battle that would redefine the nation’s political panorama.
Notable Buhari-Period Figures Now in ADC or Opposition Coalition:
- Rotimi Amaechi
- Abubakar Malami
- Hadi Sirika
- Rauf Aregbesola
- Kashim Imam
- Chief John Odigie-Oyegun
Whereas the anti-Tinubu camp beneficial properties momentum, historical past means that underestimating Tinubu might come at a excessive political price. As each camps gear up for a showdown, the race to 2027 has already begun in earnest.