Sunday, April 20, 2025 - Former Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose has dismissed ongoing efforts to form a political coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, describing the move as futile and lacking broad support.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on
Friday, April 18, Fayose, a prominent member of the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), said the proposed coalition, spearheaded by former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar, is “a dead horse ab initio.”
In recent weeks, several opposition figures have reportedly
held strategic meetings to explore the possibility of forming a united front to
challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next election
cycle. Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023
election, has been at the forefront of the discussions, urging political actors
across party lines to collaborate to wrest power from Tinubu and the APC.
However, the proposal appears to be gaining little traction, especially within
Atiku’s own party.
Earlier this week, governors elected on the PDP platform
declared that they are not considering any merger or coalition with other
political parties, effectively distancing themselves from Atiku’s push for a
unified opposition. Fayose cited this position as a clear signal that the
coalition lacks foundational support, particularly from key stakeholders within
the PDP.
“Their coalition is a dead horse ab initio. Tell me one
positive person or well-respected Nigerian that has given his voice in support
of this coalition,” Fayose said during the programme. “The (PDP) governors’
actions and statement in Ibadan is to tell Atiku: we are not with you, we are
going nowhere, we have our own identity. So, that coalition is just in the
imagination of people trying to bring it to fruition. Let me say to you, it is
a waste of time.”
Fayose also argued that some opposition governors are more
comfortable with Tinubu’s leadership than they were with Atiku’s candidacy. He
maintained that the PDP’s internal crisis, which he attributes to the disregard
of the party’s zoning principle, must first be addressed before any viable
coalition talks can take place.
“I publicly worked against Atiku, and I am saying for the
second time, if Atiku comes again (to contest), I will work against him. It is
time to learn our lesson,” Fayose said. “After eight years of a northerner, it
is the turn of a southerner, which could involve someone from the east,
south-west or south-south.”
Blaming the crisis in the PDP on what he described as a
breach of the party’s informal power-sharing arrangement, Fayose said party
members must respect unwritten agreements such as zoning if the PDP hopes to
regain political relevance. “Those who gave or zoned power back to the north
caused all these problems,” he said, insisting that the root of the party’s
disarray lies in its inability to honour internal consensus.
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