The Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have downplayed any threat posed by a potential opposition alliance in the lead-up to the 2027 elections, criticizing recent political engagements involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as politically motivated and lacking substance.
Their reaction follows a visit by Atiku, El-Rufai, and other former governors—Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo)—to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna. While Atiku described the visit as a routine Sallah homage, many within the ruling party see it as a strategic move toward building an opposition front ahead of the next presidential election.
Atiku, however, denied any political undertones, saying, “There is talk about forming a major opposition bloc, but that had nothing to do with our visit.”
Recent defections to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and rumors of discontent among the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) elements in the APC have fueled speculation about a looming political shake-up. But APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, dismissed the notion, questioning the credibility of the defection claims.
“Who are these CPC members supposedly leaving? El-Rufai and Atiku were never CPC members. Key figures like Garba Datti Mohammed and former Governor Al-Makura remain in the party, and none has indicated they are leaving,” he said. “The media shouldn’t amplify distractions.”
Also speaking on the matter, Daniel Bwala, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, criticized the rumoured coalition as a group driven solely by the ambition to gain power, not by any shared vision or ideology.
“This alliance is all about seizing power, nothing more,” Bwala said. “Even Peter Obi has hinted at that. El-Rufai, for his part, is just playing political games.”
Bwala further claimed that El-Rufai had tried to sway opposition leaders toward the SDP but met internal pushback. He referenced former Governor Sule Lamido’s firm objection, recalling that it was the PDP that gave El-Rufai his early political platform.
“El-Rufai was made a minister twice under the PDP. Now he wants to take those same people out of the party? That’s not going to happen,” Bwala added.
The Presidency emphasized that President Tinubu remains focused on national development and won’t be distracted by what it described as unstable alliances driven by personal interests.