Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the coalition led by Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El-Rufai to challenge President Bola Tinubu, while labelling both personalities as opportunists.
Atiku on Thursday, March 20, 2025, during a press conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
He made this statement during an interview on NewsCentral TV.
“What is dangerous at this moment, aside from the three persons I mentioned to you (referring to Wike, Akpabio, and Tinubu), is the danger of falling for a political opposition scam. The people who might capitalise on this are not actually opposed to it; they are just opportunists who would do anything that comes their way to legitimise themselves,” Sowore said while commenting on the announcement of a coalition led by Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai and other political figures.
“Atiku is a former APC member, El-Rufai just moved to the SDP last week, and that is already stirring controversy because they said they don’t want him there. Whoever you see at the press conference claiming to oppose this has participated in this kind of impunity.”
“Atiku was vice president under Obasanjo for eight years. He never held a press conference then to say it was wrong for Obasanjo to do what he did at that time” (referring to the suspension of state governors under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, where Atiku served as vice president).
“El-Rufai, as we know him, is the biggest snake in the house. I’m using this period to warn the unwary people of Nigeria — if you fall for it, too bad for you. These are operatives moving in different directions, but at the end of the day, they are not opposed to each other.
“If they have the opportunity to come to power, they will do worse things. El-Rufai did worse things in his state. El-Rufai buried 300 Shiites,” he noted.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, hinted at the possible formation of an opposition coalition to defeat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Atiku had made this known on Thursday, March 20, 2025, during a press conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Atiku confirmed that he, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, and the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, have kick-started a movement aimed at defeating Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Key opposition leaders and political stakeholders attended the conference to discuss President Tinubu’s controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
However, when journalists asked whether the emerging coalition would be the major opposition force against the APC in 2027, Atiku did not mince words.
“Yes,” he declared.
Atiku’s confirmation signalled a renewed effort by Nigeria’s fractured opposition to unite under a single umbrella and unseat Tinubu’s government.
SAHARA REPORTERS
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