Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have reportedly concluded months of negotiations aimed at forging a united opposition front to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the next general election in 2027.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the three opposition heavyweights reached a consensus on Tuesday to consolidate efforts under a single political platform, although the agreement has not been officially announced.
Insiders revealed that El-Rufai led a delegation from the SDP to a meeting with coalition representatives on Tuesday night, where he tried to persuade them to consider his newly adopted party.
Sources say El-Rufai argued that the SDP could serve as a stronger vehicle for the coalition because of name recognition and structure, eventually persuading them to allow the party present a formal pitch.
An insider said El-Rufai’s appeal prompted the coalition leaders to pause final adoption of ADC and give the former Kaduna governor two weeks to present a formal pitch on why the SDP is the best option.
The alliance marks a mending of political fences between the former rivals, whose division before the 2023 presidential election was widely viewed as a major contributor to President Tinubu’s victory. Collectively, Atiku and Obi secured significantly more votes than Tinubu’s 8.7 million, indicating that a united opposition could present a formidable challenge in the 2027 race.
The deal will see them rally under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a lesser-known party, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The development coincides with a recent remark by the Chairman of ADC’s Board of Trustees, BoT, Mani Ahmed, who said a deal is close.
“I can categorically inform you that the African Democratic Congress is the coalition party in Nigeria. What remains is merely dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s,” he said at a press conference.
Spokespersons for both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party acknowledged their candidates’ involvement in coalition talks but clarified that there are no ongoing discussions to merge the parties themselves. The Social Democratic Party (SDP), with which El-Rufai is a member, did not offer comment.
A major challenge for the new alliance is deciding who will run for president. Nigeria’s informal tradition of rotating power between the North and South complicate things, as Atiku, a northerner, may struggle to gain support from southern voters who strongly backed Obi, a leading figure from the South-East in 2023.
The opposition is plagued with internal divisions. The PDP, to which Atiku currently belongs, is currently locked in a three-way leadership tussle involving Atiku’s camp, supporters of Nyesom Wike—now a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet—and a bloc loyal to Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed.
On the other hand, the Labour Party faces its own internal crisis. Party chairman Julius Abure has clashed with Peter Obi over control of the party, leading to the suspension of several of Obi’s allies and weakening the party.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu’s policies have drawn heavy criticism as Nigerians grapple with rising prices, a weaker naira, and a worsening cost-of-living crisis. His decision to remove fuel subsidies and merge exchange rates, allegedly without clear plans to ease the impact, has pushed millions deeper into hardship. These economic struggles have strengthened the opposition’s determination to remove the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.
