With the 2027 general elections just two years away, political realignments aimed at dislodging the All-Progressives Congress (APC) from power are intensifying.
As various opposition forces are strategising to build a formidable alternative to challenge the ruling party at the federal level, former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, recently revealed that his party is making significant inroads into northern Nigeria in search of strategic alliances.
Speaking in a published interview at the weekend, Adebayo hinted at discussions with prominent northern politicians, including former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as part of efforts to strengthen the opposition bloc.
Similarly, former APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Salihu Lukman, has been vocal about the need for a broader opposition coalition. In a recent interview, Lukman emphasised that opposition leaders must prioritise party-building over personal ambitions if they hope to challenge the APC effectively in 2027.
Lukman specifically called on former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to set aside their presidential aspirations and work towards creating a united front. He also extended this appeal to former APC members and other opposition figures, including Rotimi Amaechi, Kayode Fayemi, Aminu Tambuwal, and el-Rufa’i, urging them to take leadership roles in a new political movement.
According to Lukman, a failure to realign and build a strong, democratic opposition party would only lead to a repetition of past political mistakes, where candidates are imposed rather than emerging through internal party democracy.
Lukman, who resigned from the APC, criticised the ruling party for adopting the same undemocratic practices that led to the downfall of the PDP in 2015. He argued that APC’s internal democracy had deteriorated to the extent that party tickets could be secured based on proximity to the presidency rather than genuine grassroots support.
He noted that under President Tinubu, the APC has become an extension of the executive, suppressing dissent within the party. Lukman accused the leadership of sidelining the party’s founding principles and imposing candidates, a practice he described as a “more advanced version of the PDP’s old ways”.
In his appeal to opposition leaders, Lukman stressed the importance of subordinating personal ambitions for the greater good. He pointed out that successful political systems require leaders who are willing to work within a structured party framework rather than merely using parties as platforms to fulfill personal aspirations.
Referring to historical political structures, he noted how, in Nigeria’s Second Republic the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) maintained internal discipline whereby the President remained an ordinary party member, while the party chairman exercised leadership. He urged current opposition figures to replicate this model by forming a party that prioritises democratic processes over personal ambitions.
Addressing his past support for President Tinubu, Lukman acknowledged that he initially believed Tinubu to be a progressive politician committed to democratic ideals. However, he expressed disappointment in Tinubu’s leadership, accusing him of perpetuating the same undemocratic practices he once opposed.
While admitting that his judgment of Tinubu may have been wrong, Lukman insisted that he would continue to challenge the APC’s leadership and campaign for a viable alternative, and urged Nigerians to hold leaders accountable and push for a political system that prioritizes governance over personal political ambitions.
As political maneuvering intensifies, the question remains whether opposition leaders can rise above individual interests to create a robust and united alternative to the APC.
With calls for internal democracy and coalition-building growing louder, observers say the next two years could be pivotal in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
