A coalition of opposition leaders aiming to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 has officially taken shape, NEWS BULLETIN has learned.
The alliance was reportedly formalised during a high-level meeting that stretched from Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday. According to a source familiar with the talks, key figures in attendance included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and other prominent stakeholders.
Atiku had earlier announced the formation of the coalition during a March 20 press conference in Abuja, where he appeared alongside Obi and El-Rufai. He stated that the goal of the coalition is to oust President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Ahead of this week’s meeting, reports emerged suggesting that Atiku had offered Obi the vice presidential slot during a previous discussion in London—an offer Obi has since denied.
A source at the latest meeting told DAILY POST:
“All the coalition’s major players were present. Committees were formed to handle logistics ahead of the coalition’s formal unveiling. Effectively, the coalition is now born.”
‘Coalition Won’t Work’ – Obi’s Ex-Adviser Dismisses Plan
Dr. Katchy Ononuju, a former Special Adviser to Peter Obi during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, has strongly criticised the coalition, calling it “a dream that won’t work” unless Obi is offered the presidential ticket.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Ononuju said:
“This is just Atiku’s caucus trying to get ahead of PDP governors who want the presidency zoned to the South. They’re preempting those discussions by proposing a coalition with Obi as Vice President. We reject that.”
Ononuju, who co-founded the Obidient Movement with Doyin Okupe, said the movement was created as a response to the refusal of northern leaders to cede the presidency to the South.
“You don’t offer someone a VP slot without first giving them a fair shot at the presidency. That meeting was a setup to position Atiku as the presidential candidate. We won’t accept that,” he stated.
‘Obidient Movement Will Resist VP Slot for Obi’
Ononuju, currently the Director General of the Heritage Centre, a political think tank, insisted that the Obidient Movement will not support any arrangement where Obi serves under another candidate.
“The movement will oppose any attempt to place Obi beneath anyone else. The presidency has only been in the South for two years, and after Buhari’s eight years in the North, it should rotate South,” he said.
He alleged that the same Northern political bloc that dominated previous elections is attempting to reassert control through the coalition, using Southern allies to pressure Obi into a subordinate role.
“We’re not against forming a coalition. We’re against trying to revive failed structures. Let PDP governors decide on zoning first. Until then, any attempt to impose Atiku as president and Obi as VP is unacceptable,” Ononuju concluded.
