Gladness Gideon
The political ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar might have hit a contemporary snag, following a wave of high-profile defections and harsh criticisms from presidential aides who declare his proposed coalition is crumbling earlier than takeoff.
Bayo Onanuga, Particular Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Data and Technique, took to X (previously Twitter) on Thursday to explain Atiku’s political future as “bleak,” mocking the continuing alliance-building efforts between opposition figures together with former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-SGF Babachir Lawal, and Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.
“Atiku’s political future seems bleak. The coalition that he, El-Rufai, Babachir, and new member Baba-Ahmed are cobbling collectively has disintegrated,” Onanuga wrote. “Potential allies, together with former operating mate Ifeanyi Okowa and defunct CPC members, are giving his leprous group a large berth. Atiku is a loser once more.”
The scathing submit adopted a equally pointed remark by one other presidential aide, Tunde Rahman, who declared that defections of key opposition figures—corresponding to former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and incumbent Governor Sheriff Oborevwori—to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had severely weakened the Individuals’s Democratic Party (PDP) and uncovered the fragility of Atiku’s coalition.
Rahman referred to as the defections “the largest shocker ever” to Atiku’s 2027 presidential goals. He added, “Certainly, the counting of PDP governors crossing over to APC has begun. Isn’t Atiku’s coalition lifeless on arrival?”
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Each aides urged that with extra opposition governors aligning themselves with President Bola Tinubu, the prospect of a unified entrance in opposition to the APC within the subsequent election cycle is swiftly fading.
Atiku Abubakar, who contested the 2023 presidential election beneath the PDP banner and got here second behind President Tinubu, has not publicly responded to the remarks. Nevertheless, political analysts say the current developments mirror the uphill battle he faces in reasserting management over a fragmented opposition.
Because the APC continues to consolidate energy, many are watching to see whether or not Atiku can maintain what stays of his base collectively—or if the defections are an indication of deeper fractures throughout the PDP and the broader opposition panorama.
