Plot to sack Tinubu: Atiku, El-Rufai's coalition talks hit rock as PDP, SDP, NNPP take action

Plot to sack Tinubu: Atiku, El-Rufai's coalition talks hit rock as PDP, SDP, NNPP take action

  • Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria and Nasir El-Rufai, the ex-Kaduna governor's coalition talks to sack President Bola Tinubu in 2027 may be approaching failure
  • This is because the major opposition parties, including the PDP, NNPP and the SDP, announced different routes to take over power in the 2027 election
  • On the other hand, El-Rufai has been accused of being a placeholder for Atiku in the SDP should the PDP deny the latter its presidential ticket

FCT, Abuja - Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar's call for a coalition to sack President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election may not be successful as the major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Recall that Atiku, alongside Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, recently announced the birth of a new coalition that will sack President Tinubu through the 2023 election, and all direction pointed to the SDP as El-Rufai joined the party after dumping the APC.

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"We'll not Merge": PDP govs declare as Atiku's camp takes fresh action to sack Tinubu in 2027

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, along with ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rifai, have announced a coalition to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election.
Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El-Rufai have planned coalition to defeat Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election Photo Credit: @elrufai, @officialABAT
Source: Twitter

2027 presidency: Analyst explains what coalition should be

Titilope Anifowoshe, a political analyst, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, explained that a coalition should be beyond defeating the president, they must have vision and ideology. She said:

"For Atiku, a coalition is a tactical necessity in a landscape where individual parties may not have the broad-based support needed to secure victory. However, the success of this coalition will depend not only on political expediency but on a shared vision and commitment to addressing Nigeria's pressing issues, such as economic development, security, and social justice."

SDP expressed confidence to defeat APC in 2027

The SDP, which is the new bride in the opposition train, has boasted about its readiness to rescue Nigeria's democracy in the 2027 election. The SDP also bragged about reversing the deepening socio-economic challenges of Nigeria as it prepared to come out strong in the 2027 general election.

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‘Kaduna pilgrimage’: Why politicians are scrambling for Buhari’s nod ahead of 2027 elections

The party, in a statement it reacted to the merger talk, stating that “no merger, a clean slate” stance and distanced itself from any political permutation that would compromise the integrity of its ideology. The SDP said its door is open to any Nigerian, particularly youths and professionals who are willing to contribute to the country.

On the other hand, Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the NNPP, alleged that the celebrated defection of El-Rufai from the APC to the SDP was to be a placeholder for Atiku, should the PDP governors deny him the ticket of the party.

NNPP chieftain dismissed Atiku's coalition talks

Galadima made the allegation in a television interview, adding that the former governor had previously attacked the former vice president and wondered why Atiku agreed to work with El-Rufai.

The NNPP chieftain further claimed that El-Rufai did not have any political relevance and that the SDP coalition was merely a noisemaking. He added that the former governor did not win any local government in 2020 and when he was a sitting governor in the 2023 election, the PDP won all the three senatorial districts and 12 of the 14 House of Representatives seats in the state.

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Plot to fire Tinubu in 2027: Reasons Atiku-led coalition may fail emerge as PDP bigwig proffers solution

Galadima noted that the APC won just one House of Representatives seat, while the Labour Party won the last seat when El-Rufai was a sitting governor. The NNPP leader wondered what El-Rufai can do now that he is out of power and even fighting his successor from outside.

According to Galadima, the NNPP remained a veritable alternative party and expressed the confidence that the party would come out with a larger vehicle in the 2027 presidential election. On the other hand, neither Atiku nor El-Rufai, has responded to Galadima's claims.

Atiku Abubakar has met with Nasir El-Rufai as talk for a new coalition emerged.
Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El-Rufai in talk for a new coalition Photo credit: @elrufai
Source: Twitter

PDP governors divided ahead of 2027

This happened as the main opposition PDP continued to spiral into a deeper political crisis with growing disaffection between the governor and top stakeholders of the party. This has continued to cast uncertainty on the PDP's future, barely two years after it lost the presidential election.

According to The Guardian, there are also indications that some governors elected under the PDP have distanced themselves from the crisis rocking the party's national leadership, which raised some doubts about the possibility of the party's planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for May.

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Credible sources within the party have also confirmed that no less than five governors are working on alliances with either the APC or the new coalition that was expected to merge ahead of the 2027 general election. This came as a result of the unrelenting PDP internal crisis, which was linked to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and his allies within the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP.

APC crisis: Buhari speaks on defection of loyalists

Legit.ng earlier reported that former President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly expressed indifference about his loyalists dumping the President Bola Tinubu-led APC.

Reports had it that the APC governors who visited the former president were seeking his intervention to stop the CPC bloc from dumping the party.

It was also stated that the CPC remained the largest bloc, with ruling party governors fearing that their defection would doom the APC.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with over 5 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023) by Legit.ng. Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng