The All Progressives Congress (APC) has downplayed the potential alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, stating it won’t be enough to stop President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
APC National Publicity Director Bala Ibrahim made the statement in response to Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, claiming the combined votes of Atiku and Obi (12 million) would have been sufficient to prevent the President’s election and the subsequent hardship.
Ibrahim described Atiku and Obi as “strange bedfellows” and emphasized that their alliance wouldn’t pose a serious threat to the ruling party. He noted that adding up total votes in an election doesn’t guarantee a win, and smart winners capitalize on opposition cracks.
He said, “It is a dream gone wrong. All over the world, you don’t add up the total votes in an election and hope to use it to topple the votes of the winner. No! You don’t do that. A smart winner always capitalises on that to create a crack within the opposition. This is because each candidate is aspiring to win.
“It’s a case of the simple majority providing the winner so far as he meets the requirement and whatever percentage is needed. So, if this is what they are relying upon, then we start celebrating 2027 because they are going to be defeated again. They will be severely beaten.
“We are happy they are learning lessons from the superior antics of the ruling APC. Now that they have admitted they are learning from those lessons, they should wait for new tutorials in 2027. As a matter of fact, the APC has opened a Progressive Institute where they can come with their books and biro to learn more about progressivism.”
Major opposition parties are of the view that a coalition or merger could defeat the APC, citing the 2015 example when former President Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, confirmed his principal’s commitment to collaborating with anyone sharing his vision for a better Nigeria, as long as it’s not about state capture.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) expressed concerns, stating that defeating the APC requires more than just an Atiku-Obi coalition.
When asked about the possibility of an Atiku-Obi coalition defeating the APC, CUPP National Secretary, Peter Ahmeh said, “Yes, a coalition can help the opposition party defeat the APC. There’s no doubt about that. It will also facilitate the easy defeat of the APC.
“But the most important coalition we need at this moment is one that ensures elections are free and fair. Because if we do that, even when people form a coalition, we still face the problem of draconian leadership that can cause glitches in the server, or manipulate election results without proper authority behind it. The solution is that our elections should be decided by the polling unit.
“The Republic of Ghana has shown this. If you look at the commission chairperson, votes are cast at the polling unit, votes are recorded at the polling unit, and winners are announced at the polling unit. We should do away with these coalition centres, which are fraudulent centres for the manipulation of results.
“We still believe that when the people are determined and stay true to their convictions, the electorate will go to the polling unit and make their decision. But a coalition will only facilitate and make it easier for the opposition to reach the Presidency.”
(Politics Nigeria)