Ibadan meeting: Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso still have opportunity for grand alliance — Ologbondiyan

Key figures in Nigeria's opposition are exploring the possibility of forming a "grand alliance" to present a united front against President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 general election. Kola Ologbondiyan, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed optimism about this prospect.

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I strongly believe so. And my belief is based on the decision reached at the meeting held in Ibadan among all the opposition political parties to look at that proposed grand alliance. The decision reached by the majority of the opposition parties was that, at the nick of time, they were going to pull together.

Ologbondiyan, who has extensive experience in Nigerian politics, including his past role as National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), believes that opposition parties can still realign and work together to "rescue our nation." He cited a recent meeting in Ibadan among opposition parties as a positive step towards this goal, emphasizing that a decision was reached to "pull together" at the opportune moment.

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I think when the decision was taken to leave the ADC, my reading was that the decision was arrived at in a hurry. And I said this publicly because no point had been reached in the discussion to arrive at the position of leaving the alliance.

Reflecting on past electoral dynamics, Ologbondiyan addressed the potential for opposition votes to be split, as seen in the 2023 election. He suggested that the departures of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the ADC coalition in May were premature, as discussions were still ongoing. He maintains that the opportunity for a grand alliance, as envisioned in the Ibadan meeting, still exists if the opposition "can read the game properly."

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What I’m saying, essentially, is that at the point at which the camps of Peter Obi as well as Kwankwaso left the coalition, no decision had been reached to warrant their departure. Because talks were still ongoing.

Looking ahead to the 2027 election, Ologbondiyan asserted that President Tinubu's primary challenge will not come from opposing political parties but from the "hungry Nigerians" struggling with economic hardship. He believes these citizens will be the decisive factor in the next election, posing a greater threat to Tinubu's presidency than any organized opposition.

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Hungry Nigerians, not the opposition, will give Tinubu sleepless nights.