Sowunmi Dismisses Possibility Of 2013-Style Coalition Toppling APC In 2027

A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has dismissed the idea that a coalition similar to the one formed in 2013, which led to the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the eventual defeat of the PDP in 2015, can be replicated to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.

In an interview with Punch, Sowunmi argued that the political dynamics in 2027 are vastly different from those in 2015, stressing that no political party today would be willing to give up its identity for the sake of a coalition.

Sowunmi remarked, “People are unnecessarily assuming that a direct replica of what happened in 2015 is what will unseat the APC. I hold the very strong and well-considered view that the times are different. It is so different from what happened in 2015 that no one interested in politics should be blind-sighted by the fact that there is no political party in Nigeria today that is going to happily deregister itself for the purpose of any coalition.”

He emphasized that the PDP is open to welcoming new members, but not at the cost of sacrificing its identity or structure.

“The PDP is going to go into an election welcoming anybody who wants to join our platform as a member of our party, opening ourselves up to receive as many great Nigerian people as possible.

“Certainly, the Peoples Democratic Party, a party that was registered in 1998 and has a lot of governors, will never go down because of the ambition of anybody. I also doubt that the Labour Party will be willing to go that route too. I also do not know whether the NNPP will be willing to go that route with anybody,” he said.

Naijaonpoint reports that Sowunmi also disagreed with the notion that combining the political heavyweights of various parties would necessarily result in more votes than the APC. He pointed out that while these parties may have large followings individually, their support bases are often mutually exclusive.

“Their numbers may be independently big but they are also mutually exclusive in certain considerations. Those who will give Segun numbers may not give Raheem the numbers. Those who will give Raheem may not give Segun. To combine Segun and Raheem, you cannot strictly say that Raheem and Segun will get the same numbers they got individually,” Sowunmi explained.

Nigerians Unlikely To Support The Same Old Politicians

Sowunmi further stated that the coalition of old political figures would struggle to convince Nigerians to vote for them in 2027, as they are not a new set of leaders.

He argued that Nigerians would likely scrutinize the past actions of these individuals and reject the idea of repackaging them as new faces.

“Nigerians are going to be forced to review their previous activities, especially when they are not new people that are unknown. So, if the same of same now package themselves as new people, I can guarantee you, that they may not, with due respect, succeed,” he said.

The PDP chieftain also highlighted internal divisions within any potential opposition coalition, pointing out that many of the political figures involved in coalition talks have presidential ambitions of their own.

This, he argued, would lead to challenges in determining the party’s presidential candidate and running mate.

“Another area I see challenge, knowing them, is that they are going to be planning to deceive one another because each of them has presidential ambition. When you drag them into a coalition of some sort, who is then going to be the presidential candidate? Who is going to be the vice?” Sowunmi added.