A political storm is brewing within Nigeria’s opposition ranks as a coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accuses Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors of quietly working to secure President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
In a sharply worded statement on Wednesday, the coalition lambasted the PDP Governors Forum for rejecting efforts to build a united opposition front—labeling them spoilers in Tinubu’s favor.
The governors, during their meeting on Monday, April 14, had publicly distanced themselves from the initiative to form a broad-based political alliance. But coalition spokesperson Salihu Moh. Lukman said their stance reveals deeper loyalties and a troubling silence as democracy teeters on the brink.
“Nigerians have waited over a decade for the PDP to rebuild itself into a credible opposition. Instead, it has become a passive tool in the hands of those it should be confronting,” Lukman declared.
He alleged that the PDP has effectively surrendered its role as the nation’s primary opposition, citing the influence of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as an example of how deep the rot runs.
“Wike isn’t rewarded for his work in the FCT. He’s being protected for ensuring the PDP fails to field a serious presidential candidate in 2027,” Lukman said.
According to him, a new agenda is in motion: to revive the PDP just enough to divide opposition votes in 2027—serving Tinubu’s interests while eroding any real path to democratic reform.
The coalition maintains that rescuing Nigeria’s democracy depends on restoring trust in political institutions and rebuilding a culture of political negotiation, which it says both the PDP and the APC have eroded over the years.
“The PDP has not held a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in two years. Nobody can even say who is truly in charge of the party anymore. The governors have hijacked the PDP’s internal processes, stripping it of democratic structure,” the statement read.
Despite the resistance, Lukman extended “a hand of fellowship” to all political actors—PDP leaders included—urging them to join forces before democracy collapses under the weight of elite manipulation.
“Romanticizing loyalty to parties that no longer serve the public interest is dangerous. The future of Nigeria depends on unity, courage, and a new political order.”
Among the coalition’s high-profile architects are not only Atiku and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi but also former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai; Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; ex-Nasarawa governor and APC chairman Abdullahi Adamu; Rotimi Amaechi, former Transport Minister; and former Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi.
The coalition says formal announcements and its programme of action are imminent, with expectations high for a transformative force that could reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of 2027.
