As some of the presidential candidates in the National Opposition Coalition Group, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, continue to consider their options, the race for the 2027 presidency has started to intensify, albeit with many possible outcomes.
Except for the June 19 application to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking the registration of a new political party—the All Democratic Alliance (ADA)—the opposition coalition has not yet made any final decisions to improve their chances in the election, despite President Bola Tinubu being the possible candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) given the flurry of endorsements for his candidacy.
Following the adoption and endorsement of President Tinubu as their candidate for the 2027 presidential election by the party’s governors, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, the ruling APC had approved him for a further four-year term.
After mentioning his several audacious changes, a group of opposition leaders and private citizens endorsed him.
There is still more work to be done by the opposition in their attempt to unseat Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 elections.
To fight for the presidency in 2027, it has decided to start a new party rather than run under the banner of an already-existing one.
The opposition’s other big issue, however, is whether or not to zone the presidential ticket to the south, which is in line with the national sentiment.
Whether to zone the ticket to the north in order to balance the geopolitical zones in the election is directly related to this.
Nevertheless, this choice goes against the nation’s sentiment following the eight years of northerner Muhammadu Buhari.
Some opposition members have either started to express interest in the presidency or are being considered by other members of the bigger group, even as the coalition’s internal extrapolations continued.
Despite being a cross between the hopefuls from the south and the north, some of them are actively pursuing their goals, while others are being encouraged by their fellow citizens. However, some people are still unsure about whether or not to run.
Some of the names that are being considered to compete against Tinubu are listed below, along with their positions in the still-developing equation.
Due to a number of circumstances, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s popularity has skyrocketed since Buhari defeated him in 2015.
The first was the way he gave up power without a struggle. This particularly won him over the world community. Secondly, he had taken on numerous regional and international missions, all of which he performed admirably.
The third aspect, which is being utilized as a parallel now, is the improved living conditions that Nigerians enjoyed under his administration. The opposition then used the requirement as one of the arguments against him.
People are urging Jonathan to run against Tinubu and run for office again. He is the only Southerner constitutionally obligated to run for a four-year term, which is the basis for this estimate.
For this one reason alone, it is thought that the north may support him more than anyone else. He has met with a lot of individuals about this, but he hasn’t offered a specific response.
That option might have been harmed, though, by his wife Patience Jonathan’s recent declaration that her husband will not run against Tinubu.
However, if he shows interest in running, he is one candidate who may make Tinubu’s job extremely difficult.
Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, has gained the reputation of being Nigeria’s most seasoned presidential candidate. The six election cycles in which he ran unsuccessfully for president of Nigeria were 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023.
Atiku came the closest to winning the presidency in 2019 and 2023. In 2023, he finished in second place with 6,984,520 votes less than incumbent President Tinubu, who received 8,794,726 votes—the fewest votes ever cast by a president in modern history.
However, certain factions within the opposition alliance believe that Atiku has outlived his usefulness and that others have done so for him. The turmoil within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is mostly attributed to his aspirations to become president.
Since Atiku will come and “grab” the ticket once more, many governors and other stakeholders are unwilling to put in the effort necessary to get the party in shape.
Furthermore, the bulk of them still adhere to the zoning idea, which means they believe that power should stay in the south, which is obviously against Atiku’s interests.
When he ran alongside Atiku and President Bola Tinubu in 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, a two-term former governor of Anambra State, swept the political landscape. However, he received 6,101,533 votes overall, placing him third on the Labour Party’s (LP) platform. In that election, he was more aligned with Atiku than Tinubu.
Even though Obi had the support and popularity of young people, who make up a sizable portion of the electorate, many political strategists still viewed his presidential journey as a failure, believing that the Emi lo kan catchphrase would have remained a dream if he had stayed behind to collaborate with Atiku.
Since 1999, the South-east, a recognized PDP stronghold, has failed to deliver a president. However, Obi gained the home zone advantage by running for president from that region of the nation in 2023, which reduced Atiku’s support and ultimately gave Tinubu the win.
Obi is reportedly back in the race, but it’s unclear if the young people still view him favorably as they did in 2023. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the north would back any Southerner who is legally entitled to two eight-year terms following Tinubu’s four-year tenure.
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President and two-term governor of Kwara State, is a powerful figure in the state.
Saraki, who was also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, was well-versed in national politics. He ran in the PDP’s May 2022 presidential primary and finished third, behind Nyesom Wike and Atiku Abubakar.
Saraki has maintained his popularity in Kwara and national politics after losing Kwara State to the APC in the 2019 elections.
Regretfully, his hometown has historically been somewhat of a disadvantage.
Although Saraki has a Yoruba name, neither the core north nor the south believe he belongs to the North-central region, where he is from, should be considered for the presidency if the position is assigned to the north.
But according to the present extrapolation, a Saraki with one leg in the north and the other in the south seems like a common compromise option in case of a deadlock.
He hasn’t, however, expressed interest in running in 2027.
To take on a Tinubu, however, would require more than such superficial study. Despite Saraki’s strategic aptitude, skill, and quick thinking, the current political landscape appears to be working against him.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, a two-term Kano State governor and former minister of defense, is incapable of upending any significant political squabbles outside of Kano.
Despite garnering support from the populace, he has become Kano State’s political leader, although his hold on power is currently tenuous.
Kwankwaso has always kept a watch on the president as the leader of Kwankwasiyya, a grassroots political movement that recently recruited 24 retired military officers of Kano descent as members.
With 1,496,687 votes, he finished well behind in the 2023 presidential election while running on the banner of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Since he has not identified with the opposition alliance and his party, the NNPP, is currently experiencing a leadership crisis, his political future is uncertain.
Even though Kano is essential to any presidential campaign, he is the least of Tinubu’s issues. It is thought that Kwankwaso is being held in check in Kano by the president’s troops.
Rotimi Amaechi is among the politicians with the longest tenure in Nigerian history. Amaechi enters the contest with the necessary experience as a former speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a two-term governor of Rivers State, and an eight-year former minister of transportation.
Many of the people he educated and who ascended through him are now succeeding in a variety of political arenas as well as in their personal lives. He nurtured Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the FCT, from his political infancy to his current position of prominence.
Tinubu received 1,271 votes to win the APC presidential primary in June 2022, while Amaechi received 316 votes, placing him in a far-off second place.
Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was among the eleven other candidates that Amaechi defeated. Among the few brave persons, he has occasionally criticized the Tinubu regime for the suffering it has caused the Nigerian people. Additionally, he opposed his proclamation of emergency in his state of Rivers, arguing that it was unconstitutional.
Amaechi has come out of the closet with his desire of becoming president. He has participated in the coalition discussions for the same reason. It is uncertain whether the North will accept another Southerner serving for eight years following Tinubu’s four years in power, similar to previous possible Southern options.
Amaechi is so genuine, according to his supporters, that he would never betray his honor even if he had a four-year contract. However, that is still insufficient. After Jonathan apparently broke a similar deal, will the North ever trust anyone again?
Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is one of the powerful members of the opposition coalition aiming to depose President Tinubu in 2027.
He is prepared to offer assistance in overthrowing Tinubu, despite the fact that he has shown no indications of interest in the 2027 presidential race. However, a lot of people thought that El-Rufai was still considering partnering with a candidate from the South because he knew that such a running mate might eventually become the president.
El-Rufai’s complaints against the president were based on the Senate’s purported “order from above” to deny him confirmation as a minister.
He has remained distraught and resolved to exact revenge on Tinubu and the APC in 2027 because he cannot bear the suffering and humiliation that his person had endured as a result of the rejection to clear him.
But his political fortunes were harmed by the murders that occurred in southern Kaduna during his tenure as governor.
Ibrahim Shekarau, another two-term Kano State governor, is a powerful figure in Kano politics.
He is the Chairman of the League of Northern Democrats (LND), a political organization founded by a group of northern elites to negotiate with the opposition coalition in 2027. He was previously the Minister of Education.
Shekarau is one of the northern forces who had promised to return Tinubu to Lagos in 2027, despite the fact that he has not expressed interest in becoming president.
Shekarau, like Kwankwaso, does not appear to be a challenge to Tinubu, though, as the national consensus favors the President staying in the South in 2027.
Source: Arise TV
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