Bashir El-Rufai, son of the erstwhile governor of Kaduna State, Nasiu El-Rufai, has condemned Nigeria’s major opposition politicians for failing to unite ahead of the 2027 presidential election. He blamed repeated divisions for handing victory to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. Hence, El-Rufai expressed frustration over seasoned leaders repeating past mistakes by presenting multiple candidates.
Opposition Vote Splitting Led to 2023 Defeat
In a post on X, El-Rufai highlighted the vote counts of Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi. He wrote, “This man only got 8M votes. Waziri 6M. Obi 6M (I think).” Conversely, a strong coalition or merger can definitely unseat the present government. Thus, he criticised the lack of cohesion that split opposition votes and weakened their chances. Tinubu of the APC won against Atiku (PDP) and Obi (Labour Party) in 2023.
Analysts Urge United Opposition Front
Political analysts often argue that a united opposition could challenge the APC more effectively. El-Rufai referred to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as once worrying opponents. He stated, “For a while, the ADC put the fear of God in their hearts, and that’s because they know what we all know.” Thus, referring to speculation that the ADC could become a platform for a broad opposition coalition.
Ongoing Political Realignments for 2027
No doubt El-Rufai’s comments come amid talks of opposition alliances ahead of 2027. Furthermore, key figures like Obi, Atiku, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso have been linked to coalition talks under alternative platforms. However, recent shifts included Obi and Kwankwaso leaving the ADC to join the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Consequently, there is no formal agreement that has yet been announced among opposition leaders.
Igbo Presidency
According to Bashir, historical wounds will not heal until Nigeria elects an Igbo president. “It’s high time Nigeria had a pure-blood Igbo president,” Bashir wrote in a post on X. All of these old wounds will continue to exist till then. Moreover, he asserted that the former Anambra State governor Peter Obi served as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2019 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign.
Owing to the PDP’s internal strife, Obi left the party in 2023 to join the Labour Party (LP), where he ran for president but came in third behind Atiku and President Bola Tinubu, who won on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform. There were calls from the South-East for Nigeria to permit the election of an Igbo president in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election.
Conclusion
It is more than obvious that the way the opposition is going about its business is the same as the last election, and it will be suicidal. Conversely, the only opposition that can unseat President Tinubu remains a united opposition. And candidly, zoning their presidential ticket to the South will guarantee a more fierce battle.
