2027: Tinubu stronger as opposition summit fails — TDF
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2027: Tinubu stronger as opposition summit fails — TDF
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Democratic Front, TDF has described the failure of the recent G100 opposition summit in Abuja as evidence of the political weakness of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group said the inability of the opposition to agree on a common presidential candidate had exposed divisions within its ranks and demonstrated President Bola Tinubu’s political strength ahead of the poll.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Wale Adedayo, the TDF said the summit, which was expected to advance plans for a united opposition front, instead exposed the divisions and competing interests among the parties.
The group said the absence of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his New Democratic Congress counterpart, Peter Obi, from the Abuja summit represented a major setback for the opposition’s efforts to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
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“We view the conspicuous absence of the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, and his NDC counterpart, Peter Obi, from the recently held Summit of opposition parties in Abuja, as a major setback in the opposition’s conspiracy to wrest power next year,” it stated.
According to the TDF, the summit marked the climax of what it described as a failed attempt by opposition parties to present a single candidate against Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The group also criticised the political activities of Atiku and Obi, accusing the two politicians of placing their personal ambitions ahead of the collective interests of the opposition.
“It is on record that we have consistently decried the undemocratic behaviour by which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi have pursued their personal political ambitions towards the 2027 presidential election,” the statement added.
The TDF recalled that Atiku and Obi had initiated what it called the Ibadan Declaration on April 25, 2027, as part of efforts to persuade opposition parties to form a united front against Tinubu.
It, however, said the emergence of Atiku and Obi as presidential candidates of the ADC and NDC respectively had created a new obstacle to the proposed alliance.
The group said, “It is indeed sad to note how badly Atiku and Obi’s rabid pursuit for power have negatively impacted opposition politics in Nigeria.
“Their selfish and negative influence have led to a total loss of philosophical and ideological focus on the part of opposition parties.”
The TDF further alleged that internal party discipline and cohesion had been weakened within the opposition, while party disputes, litigation and what it described as political brigandage had spread across various levels of the affected parties.
It said the situation had become more confusing because opposition parties had accused Tinubu of attempting to undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy while simultaneously seeking to unite several registered political parties behind a single presidential candidate.
“It is even more perplexing to note the rising state of confusion in the opposition camp. This is because the opposition had mischievously accused President Tinubu of plotting to close the democratic space to a one-party state, only to turn round to dramatically embark on moves to compromise the principle of multi-party democracy,” the group stated.
The TDF argued that the failure of the opposition parties to reach a consensus demonstrated that they remained divided and lacked the cohesion required to mount an effective electoral challenge.
It consequently maintained that the development had strengthened Tinubu’s position ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the opposition, in its current state, did not pose a serious electoral threat to the President’s re-election bid.
