As the 2027 general election draws nearer, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State, has disclosed that opposition politicians are working behind the scenes to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
In the lead-up to the 2023 election, two major opposition figures, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi went their separate ways after previously running together in 2019. Atiku contested under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while Obi emerged as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
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The split turned out to be advantageous for the ruling party, as Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, won the presidency with 8,794,726 votes. Atiku secured 6,984,520 votes, while Obi garnered 6,101,533. Critics argue that a united front between Atiku and Obi could have changed the outcome of the election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Tuesday, Rhodes-Vivour emphasized the importance of opposition unity moving forward. He warned that splitting votes again would be a costly mistake.
“The only way we can move this country forward, as far as the opposition is concerned, is to unite,” he said. “We cannot afford to divide our votes again. If you add Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s votes to His Excellency Peter Obi’s, they would have completely overtaken the current president.”
Rhodes-Vivour also disclosed that talks are ongoing to form a coalition, and an announcement regarding the political platform to be used for the 2027 election would be made soon.
“The conversation is progressing. We’re working to put a coalition together. Expect announcements within the next day or two. Everyone is coming together. That’s our main focus. At that point, we can authoritatively reveal the party we’ll be running on,” he added.
While Atiku is reportedly leading coalition talks among opposition leaders, it remains uncertain whether Obi will officially join, as his recent comments have left many of his supporters unsure.
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