Political analyst, Jide Ojo, has cast serious doubts on the viability of any coalition involving former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, describing such moves as “dead on arrival.”
Ojo argues that Atiku’s political history, marked by defeats, frequent party internal crises and failed alliances, has left many sceptical about his ability to lead or unite a formidable coalition capable of mounting a real challenge in future elections.
It was recently reported that the camps of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; and other key political figures have reportedly agreed to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the primary coalition party to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Multiple sources close to Atiku and Obi’s camps, who spoke with Punch on the condition of anonymity due to a lack of official authorisation, disclosed that a meeting held on Tuesday night marked a significant step in the ongoing coalition efforts.
Naijaonpoint understands that during this meeting, the coalition leaders agreed to adopt ADC as the central platform for their political alliance.
The sources further revealed that efforts were already underway to restructure and strengthen ADC in preparation for the 2027 election, with official announcements on the changes expected in the coming days.
However, Ojo, in an exclusive interview with Naijaonpoint, contends that any alliance built around Atiku lacks the freshness and dynamism Nigerians are yearning for in their leadership.
He notes that younger voters, who make up a significant portion of the electorate, are increasingly disillusioned with recycled politicians and are more inclined toward new, young faces and ideas.
As such, he believes that opposition parties must look beyond Atiku and focus on grooming a new generation of leaders if they hope to gain traction and present a credible alternative to the ruling party.
Opposition Can Pull Some Strings, But Any Coalition With Atiku Is Dead On Arrival
When asked about the possibility of the opposition party unseating President Tinubu in 2027, Ojo said: “It’s not impossible. But a coalition that will succeed must not be built around Atiku. It will be dead on arrival.
“What I learned is that they are using the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). ADC has been there since 2019.
“But it didn’t make any progress. If you go back to 2019, Obasanjo announced that the ADC is the third force, but what impact did it make in 2019? In 2023, the Labour Party (LP) was the third force. But now the gains of 2023 have been eroded by the crisis in the Labour Party.
“So, now ADC has a chairman who has been there for 17 years. From what I learned, it’s been recognised by the INEC.
“And now people want just to use that as a share company to now determine rather than forming a new party, they want to use that as another special purpose vehicle.”
Nigerians Not Ready To Have An Octogenarian As President
“But let me tell you, any coalition that will work, they must first ensure a commitment from Atiku Abubakar to not run in 2027. Inasmuch as the coalition is to favour Atiku, it’s going to be dead on arrival.
“Because Atiku is about 78 years old and by 2027, he will be 80, and Nigerians are not ready to have somebody who is an octogenarian as president.
“And more so, the sentiments out there are that the South must do 8 years before it will be opened for the North.
“And so, more or less any party that coalition will field has to be a strong candidate from the South. And Atiku is from the North, not from the South.
“So if Atiku does not announce his retirement from politics early enough, to play the role of a statesman, and they are trying to make the coalition that will now hand over the platform to Atiku for their bid in 2027, it will be dead on arrival,” Ojo added.