•Atiku, Tinubu, Obi and Kwankwaso
A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Akin Osuntokun, says he does not think a coalition being formed by some political leaders to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 will work .
Some opposition politicians last week announced a coalition to challenge President Tinubu of the All progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election.
Osuntokun, a former News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Managing Director, told a correspondent of the agency yesterday that alliances were not new in Nigeria and that he did not see the coalition working against the president.
He described Tinubu as an experienced politician and strategist, saying the President knew how to navigate the murky waters of politics.
According to him, Tinubu has power of incumbency and will use it to his advantage if he decides to seek re-election in 2027.
“If he (Tinubu) could win an election (against all odds) when he was not President, you can imagine now when he is the president.
“I would not bet on the chances of the opposition. Tinubu seems to have a lot of cards to play at his disposal, and he is experienced and he is a master in terms of political strategy during elections.
“So, I would not bet against him. However, my advice for the opposition leaders coming together is to pick a presidential candidate from the South.
“If they pick a candidate from the North, they are going to run against the obstacle of the North South rotational presidency principle,” Osuntokun said.
According to him, Tinubu clearly has far more capacity to mobilise for the election than any other individual or group.
“The opposition leaders have Tinubu as a formidable opponent, who is going to ensure that he goes all out and wins the election,” Osuntokun said.
He, however, said there was nothing wrong with forming a coalition to challenge the government at the centre so long as the participants would be faithful and committed to goals of the alliance.
“For any political party, to effectively challenge the power at the centre, it requires coming together to form a grand party, in order to stand a better chance of having their objective being realised.
“So, to that extent, they (opposition leaders and parties) are right and correct with their planned formation of a coalition,” he added.
He cited the APC’s victory against Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in 2015 as an example of coalitions that had worked in the country’s political history.
Osuntokun, however, warned that the coalition might hit the rocks if the participants fail to agree on the means or method to select its presidential candidate.
He said that the presidential ambitions of the certain figures in the coalition could affect their willingness to reach a compromise.
“So, this is going to be a test of the durability and potency of the coalition,” he said.
He advised the coalition leaders, especially those from the north, to shelve their personal ambitions and work for the emergence of a southern candidate, to ensure the success of the coalition.
“If the party ticket goes to a politician from the north, like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, he is going to be running against the principle or the convention that had been adopted since 1999 : the power rotation between the North and South.
“So, he is going to violate that convention, and to that extent, he is going to lose support from the intelligentsia, and it will be very hard to sell,” he said.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Friday, at a meeting of key opposition leaders, announced the formation of a coalition, aimed at unseating Tinubu in 2027.
Atiku made the declaration during a news conference in Abuja, attended by several opposition politicians, including former APC members, who have since defected.
Among those at the event were the 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who was represented by Dr Yunusa Tanko; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and others.
