Kenneth Okonkwo says the opposition risks losing the 2027 presidential election if it fails to unite behind a single candidate, while dismissing Peter Obi’s chances of defeating President Bola Tinubu without a broader alliance.
Okonkwo, spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign, says opposition parties must form a coalition and rally behind a common candidate if they hope to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Okonkwo made the comment during an interview with Ibeju Upgrade Media, where he also questioned the ability of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, to unseat Tinubu on his own.
He further dismissed the potential electoral strength of former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as Obi’s running mate.
According to Okonkwo, the opposition’s failure to consolidate its support could leave Tinubu with an advantage by splitting votes among several presidential candidates.
“Coalition is the only way out,” he said, while referring to Tinubu’s earlier remarks about the nature of political power.
He argued that Obi would struggle to defeat the incumbent without a broader political alliance, particularly because of the need to secure substantial support across northern Nigeria. “So, if Peter Obi goes against Tinubu alone, Tinubu will eat him like biscuits.”
He also questioned whether Obi could secure significant support in Kano, pointing to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
“Will Kano people accept Peter Obi? In 2023, when we had the opportunity, they did not accept him. In 2027, they will not accept him,” he said.
Okonkwo further dismissed Kwankwaso’s potential contribution to an Obi-led ticket, claiming that the former Kano governor had lost political ground in his home state. “Kwankwaso has nothing to contribute to the ticket. Even in Kano, Kwankwaso has lost,” he said.
Okonkwo’s comments come amid renewed efforts by opposition politicians and groups to build a united platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
The G100 Opposition Coalition, led by Salihu Lukman, has been advocating for opposition parties to overcome their differences and produce a single presidential candidate capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The initiative gained fresh momentum in August when the G100 and members of the House of Representatives Minority Caucus called on opposition parties to work towards a common front. The caucus said a united opposition would improve its chances of defeating the APC.
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By the end of August, representatives of several opposition parties had also begun discussions on a common political platform and the possibility of producing a single presidential candidate for 2027.
The parties involved in the consultations included the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, NDC, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party.
However, the push for a consensus candidate faces significant political hurdles, particularly because major opposition figures have already emerged as presidential candidates on separate platforms.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the ADC, while Obi is the NDC candidate. Both camps have previously resisted calls to abandon their individual presidential ambitions in favour of a single opposition candidate, although they have acknowledged the broader need for cooperation among opposition forces.
The challenge mirrors difficulties encountered in 2025, when attempts to establish a broad opposition coalition struggled to overcome competing political ambitions and differences among major opposition figures.
Okonkwo has previously criticized Obi’s political capacity. In May, he said the former Anambra State governor lacked the capacity to address Nigeria’s challenges and dismissed concerns that Obi’s departure from the ADC would weaken the opposition coalition.
The latest remarks therefore add to an ongoing disagreement among opposition figures over the most viable strategy for challenging Tinubu in 2027.
The debate is partly shaped by the experience of the 2023 presidential election, when opposition votes were divided among several major candidates, including Tinubu of the APC, Atiku of the PDP and Obi of the Labour Party.
Official results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission show that Tinubu won the election, followed by Atiku and Obi.
The 2023 outcome has since become a reference point in arguments for and against a unified opposition ticket, with proponents of a coalition contending that fragmented opposition support could make it difficult to defeat an incumbent.
With the 2027 election approaching, opposition parties are continuing to weigh whether cooperation, a merger or a single presidential ticket offers the strongest route to challenging the APC.
The G100 has argued that the opposition needs to agree on the rules and structure of cooperation before deciding how presidential positions will be allocated, while some political actors remain unwilling to relinquish their individual ambitions.
For now, the central question remains whether Nigeria’s opposition parties can resolve their differences and agree on a candidate capable of bringing together their various political constituencies before the 2027 presidential contest.
Okonkwo’s position is clear: without such a coalition, he believes the opposition will struggle to overcome Tinubu and the APC.
The Cable
