The spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has stated that only a broad opposition coalition can defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Okonkwo made the remarks during an interview with Ibeju Upgrade Media, which was shared on YouTube on Thursday. He argued that individual opposition candidates, including Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), would struggle to unseat the incumbent without a united front.
“Coalition is the only way out. So you don’t come down with a man who has told you from the beginning that power is not taken à la carte; you fight for it, you grab it, you snatch it, you run away with it,” Okonkwo said, referring to Tinubu.
He further dismissed the prospects of an Obi candidacy running alone, even with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as running mate. “So, if Peter Obi goes against Tinubu alone, Tinubu will eat him like biscuits. 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 stated.
Okonkwo added that Kwankwaso “has nothing to contribute to the ticket. Even in Kano, Kwankwaso has lost.”
The comments come against the backdrop of earlier efforts by opposition parties to form a coalition in 2025, which faced setbacks as major contenders, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, emerged as presidential candidates of different parties ahead of the 2027 polls.