President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, has said the president is not distracted by the activities of a coalition of opposition leaders.
In a post on his X handle on Thursday night, Onanuga described the group as a “coalition of Tinubu haters,” saying that “President Tinubu is focused on governance to build a prosperous country.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOnanuga stated this while reacting to the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Prime Business Africa reports that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai among others have announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders.
During a press conference organised by the opposition leaders at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Thursday, Atiku, who spoke on their behalf, confirmed it.
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Atiku and Obi had been emphasising the need to have a more united opposition. They said the idea of a coalition is to fight for the liberation of the Nigerian people.
This got momentum recently after el-Rufai defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC), to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The immediate past Kaduna State governor, who fell out with Tinubu after he lost his ministerial bid, has been criticising the current administration and calling on opposition leaders to join him under the SDP platform to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
The coalition kicked against the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Tinubu, describing it as unconstitutional and amounts to state capture. They also disclosed plans to announced very soon, the coalition’s party affiliation.
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However, Onanuga said they are “disgruntled” politicians who are not seeking public good but only scheming to unseat President Tinubu in 2027.
He said: “President Tinubu is focused on governance to build a prosperous country. He is on the way to achieving this. Two months to his midterm, he has many solid achievements to showcase. Intractable problems are being tackled headlong.
“He cannot be distracted by the so-called coalition of politicians. They are not politicians after the Public Good. It’s all about their self-interest.
“They are disgruntled. They are a frustrated lot. The leaders are sore losers. The coalition is an amalgam of Tinubu haters. Their agenda is to stop Tinubu.”
Other opposition leaders who expressed support for the coalition include, former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Peter Ameh; former National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu; and the Convener of The Alternative, Segun Showunmi,
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.