Moves by the opposition parties to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 further gathered momentum on Thursday, with the Peoples Democratic Party governors, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the New Nigeria People?s Party planning an alliance to oust the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress government.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors? Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, confirmed the development after a closed-door meeting with Obi at the Bauchi Government House on Thursday.

He expressed his readiness to work with the former LP presidential candidate to give the country purposeful leadership.

The Bauchi meeting comes a few days after a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, vowed to mobilise opposition figures towards unseating Tinubu in the 2027 election.

El-Rufai stated this on Monday after switching to the Social Democratic Party from the APC.

?I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-elections,? El-Rufai stated.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting with the ex-presidential candidate, the Bauchi governor said he and the PDP respected and admired Obi?s political style.

?We have a lot of respect and admiration for him because of his style of politics, his statesmanship, his versatility, his deep knowledge of the economy, and his understanding of the country. Of course, he also has a clear vision of where politics and politicians should be in terms of promoting good governance, impacting the people, and uniting the country,? he said.

Mohammed emphasised that it would be a delight to work with the former Anambra State governor, adding that they had earlier met on the way forward.

?It is a delight to work with him and listen to him. His deep knowledge, statistics and so on. And we in the PDP, as chairman of my colleagues, we have always admired him and we have always shown interest because, behind the scenes, I have been meeting with him.

?This is not the first time we met. In fact, I met him in Abuja, and I was going to meet him. But out of his normal humility, he decided to come here and we?ve discussed so many issues.

?We discussed step-by-step challenges like the challenges in Rivers State. And I feel highly appreciative of what he is doing as a leader of the opposition. Because whether we like it or not, he is the leader of the opposition now in Nigeria.?

Speaking on his plans, the governor noted, ?I want to say at this level, not to make some of those doubting Thomases and curious minds to pre-empt what we are doing, that myself as a person, I am ready to work with Peter Obi.

?And to make sure we come together, close ranks, and bring good governance to the country. We will give a vibrant opposition, with knowledge, with timelines, with vision in such a manner that we would rescue and recover our country from the mediocre parading themselves as leaders.?

The former Federal Capital Territory minister said the time had come for the opposition to work together to achieve their objectives.

?Definitely, the time has come when we must step out and do things with sincerity and focus. I think our coming together is a message and the message is going to resonate because all our colleague governors are behind this kind of journey because it?s a transcendental one,? he said.

Speaking earlier, Obi explained that he was consulting with Mohammed ?as a critical person in Nigerian politics.?

He said the situation in Nigeria necessitated him to visit the governor to discuss the future of the country, hinting that more such meetings would be held.

?So, it?s just a consultation and discussion meeting that will continue to go on as we talk about the future of this country. All of you are aware of where we are today, what is happening, our country and everything.

?And if we have to discuss that, we have to discuss issues happening in the North. Like I have told the governor today, that the North is a critical component if we are going to get it right in this country.?

Obi further stated, ?When people talk about the criminality in Nigeria, especially when people talk about the North, I said no, there?s poverty in Nigeria. You have to deal with the issue of poverty. Until you solve poverty, you can?t solve criminality.?

He said the government needed to invest in critical areas such as education and agriculture to lift Nigerians out of poverty and address criminality.

?But as you can see in the political space now, we?re not discussing all this. What we are discussing in political space are budget padding, and sexual harassment, whereas our people are hungry. We need to discuss hunger, we need to discuss poverty, we need to discuss education and health,? he added.

Obi revealed that the Thursday meeting was a precursor to other meetings with Mohammed as they planned to engage further about the country?s future.

Meanwhile, El-Rufai has disclosed that he had the consent of former President Muhammadu Buhari to dump the APC.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa service, the ex-minister stated, ?I left the APC with his full knowledge. I visited him on a Friday and informed him of my decision to leave the party because I was involved and consulted with him on all my matters.?

He recalled how as governor, he submitted the list of his commissioner-nominees to Buhari to screen them and see if any of them had ever insulted him (Buhari).

?After going through the list, he nodded his approval and offered prayers. I consult with him in all I do,? he added.

El-Rufai claimed he knew individuals who paid for ministerial appointments in Tinubu?s cabinet.

?Did I seek to be a minister? I know people who paid to get ministerial appointments,? El-Rufai responded when asked whether he anticipated that people might believe he left the APC because he was not appointed as a minister.

He stated that it would have been easier for him if the party had sacked him, as that would have saved him from the stress of explaining his exit.

The former FCT minister insisted he did not leave the APC, arguing that the party abandoned him and its original ideals.

He said those who worked for the party were not recognised or rewarded.

Asked if he had any political godfather, El-Rufai said, ?I have those I consult with in everything I do. I inform them of anything I intend to do, and when they demand that I keep off, I do. My first godfather is Muhammadu Buhari. For the rest, I will not mention them because if I do, they?ll be pressured.?

Against the backdrop of insinuation that former President Buhari gave El-Rufai the nod to leave the party, the former president, on Thursday, stressed that he remained loyal to the APC and would keep working to ?popularise? the party.

?I am an APC member, and I like to be addressed as such. I will try to popularise the party by all means,? Buhari declared in a statement signed by his spokesman, Garba Shehu.

When asked if he regretted supporting Tinubu, the ex-Kaduna governor replied, ?I haven?t regretted it, but I have been taken by surprise.

?Why I don?t regret supporting him is that some Yoruba leaders from the southwest had visited Kaduna and informed me that the Muslims of their region were being politically marginalised. That was the first reason I supported Tinubu.

?The second reason is this: We agreed that the 2023 presidential seat would be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria for fairness, balance and justice in the country.?

The NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, confirmed that the party and its 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, were engaging in consultations with other parties to unseat Tinubu.

In a telephone interview with The PUNCH, Johnson stated that the party was being cautious in its coalition efforts, noting that announcements would be made at the appropriate time.

He stated, ?Well, as you know, the electoral space is very wide, just like Nigeria. What I can confirm is that the party, and even the leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, have been in talks with various people, and groups and are still reaching out and being reached out to by different interest groups in the country.

?It is clear to most of us in the opposition that the people of the country are suffering, and that we must come together in one way or another to ensure that we end this mismanagement of our economy and other issues.

?Now, what I am saying is that not all opposition parties may be in the same vehicle, but we are working to ensure that a critical mass of opposition politicians in the country will be in one vehicle and will provide leadership for others who will come around to ensure that, politically speaking, we defeat the incumbent administration.?

When asked if the NNPP would relinquish its identity and adopt whichever platform is chosen by the opposition coalition, Johnson responded that time would tell.

He noted, ?I cannot say whether we will or will not see it. But I can confirm the willingness of the NNPP to talk to others. That is already happening?talking to groups, individuals, or perhaps some parties.

?But at this stage, tactically speaking, we tend not to say who we are talking with as a party. But the party itself is very strategic, making sure that its steps are circumspect in what we do.

?At the right time, you will receive announcements and updates. But we are in the loop, we are consulting and being consulted.?

The Coalition of United Political Parties also confirmed the move by the opposition political parties to form a coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The National Secretary of CUPP, Peter Ahmeh, stated that only a proven southern candidate could defeat Tinubu.

But the Peoples Democratic Party described its platform as the strongest to host other opposition parties in the fight for power against the ruling APC.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also repeatedly stressed the importance of unity among the opposition parties.

On March 8, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate revealed that he was working to unite opposition parties in a coalition to remove the APC from power.

?Atiku is advocating a robust coalition that would accommodate all opposition parties ? the PDP inclusive,? he stated in a statement by his media aide.

In an interview with The PUNCH, the CUPP scribe confirmed that consultations regarding a coalition were ongoing but added that an agreement had yet to be reached on the chosen platform.

He stated, ?Yes, consultations and conversations about a coalition of opposition political parties to defeat Tinubu in 2027 are ongoing.

?The opposition parties need to come together, and they must also take into consideration that there is a quiet agreement between the South and the North that power shall continue to rotate.

?I am very sure 100 per cent that if a northern candidate appears in this coalition, Tinubu will win the election before noon. So, the South should be allowed to spend eight years and they should also consider other candidates from other parts.

?We have to look at candidates with records. We must also make sure that the parties come together for the benefit of the masses, especially the suffering masses of this country.?

The CUPP secretary, who identified Obi as the only southern candidate capable of defeating Tinubu, urged the northerners involved in the coalition discussions to select credible running mates from their region.

He continued, ?It was a personal decision for El-Rufa?i to join the SDP, which is within his right as a free citizen of this country. But that is not where the decision of the opposition coalition lies.

?Maybe he?s trying to bring the SDP to the table as part of the opposition coalition.

?But the issue with the 2027 election is that the opposition must take it very seriously because I know that, yes, the APC itself has been disarrayed, but it?s not something we should take for granted.

?The APC is the one that currently controls the apparatus of the state. So, the stronger the opposition, the better for the opposition to achieve this objective, the better for all in the end.

?If we have a coalition that brings in more northern leaders, it can bring in more interested people who can galvanise voters, encourage voters, and have their own voter base and support base.

?If the intent and purpose of those who are discussing the coalition today is to defeat Tinubu, they have only one choice: a southern candidate, that is Obi. So, the North should come up with a running mate.?

The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said the opposition political parties must set aside their egos and form a coalition against the APC.

The party chieftain expressed concerns that selecting a presidential candidate might be a risky move for the coalition and urged other parties to adopt the PDP as the platform for the coalition.

He said, ?There are two sides to every issue. On both sides of the screen, you have a coalition, which in itself seems like a good thing because it brings most of the key actors together on the same page.

?But the danger lies in that level of cooperation and agreement?who will settle for which role, and who will agree to step down for the sake of the desperate politicians?

?I am not against the PDP bridging the coalition, but I am against people who should only be contesting for governorship or Senate positions in their states, in the name of the coalition, yet want to run for President.

?If we can truly understand what fits us, how to address that, and align our actions accordingly, there wouldn?t be too much of a quarrel.?

He urged those leading the coalition to be honest, stressing that the PDP was open to discussions and willing to accommodate all coalition interests.

The LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said the party?s National Working Committee was, however, not involved in any coalition discussions with individuals or other parties.

He described the LP as a powerful party and expressed doubts that coalition talks would be pursued by the party leadership, noting that Obi?s actions were driven by his interests.

He stated, ?Our presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, can, in his capacity, mingle and discuss with like-minded individuals because it?s all about politics, and every politician is looking ahead to the next election.

?As you can see, many people are meeting each other and talking on an individual basis.

?However, on a party level, I have not seen any party, as of today, that has come forward to discuss coalition or anything merger with LP.

?Nigerian political parties are not run by individuals; they are run by a collective group of elected NWC and National Executive Committee members who sit down to decide the affairs and the next steps the party must take.

?As I speak to you now, the Labour Party has not brought up such matters in the National Working Committee. Therefore, it has not been discussed, and I doubt it will be.? (The PUNCH)

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