Opposition leaders Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore have explained why efforts to form a united coalition against President Bola Tinubu failed ahead of the 2027 general election.
The leaders spoke at the Nigerian Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where they identified personal ambitions, ideological differences and disagreements over the purpose of the proposed alliance as major obstacles to consensus.
Representing Atiku, his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, said many politicians involved in the coalition talks were unwilling to set aside their presidential ambitions. He argued that a coalition must first be properly formed before any candidate could be expected to step down.
Amaechi also urged Nigerians to judge politicians seeking public office by their records, competence and capacity rather than reject everyone who had previously held political positions. He said voters should scrutinise the records of public officials and refuse to support those associated with corruption or unexplained displays of wealth.
Peter Obi said he remained open to a coalition but insisted that it must have a clear purpose. According to him, any alliance should be built around good governance and addressing Nigeria’s major challenges, with the competence, character, commitment and capacity of those involved carefully considered.
Sowore, however, disagreed that an opposition coalition was necessary to defeat the incumbent. He argued that Nigerians themselves, rather than politicians attempting to preserve the existing political order, would determine the outcome of the election.
He also said an alliance without meaningful ideological differences from the current government would not bring genuine change, particularly if its members shared similar positions on issues such as fuel subsidy removal or maintained what he described as corrupt lifestyles.
The session became tense when Sowore argued that politicians who had previously held public office should be apologising to Nigerians rather than seeking another opportunity. Amaechi rejected the claim, insisting that former officeholders should instead be judged by their achievements and records in office.
