2027: Coalition Dismisses PDP, Scouts for Presidential Candidate Among Obi, Atiku, El-Rufai, Others

According to reports, important political figures from northern Nigeria and other interested parties nationwide have decided to drop the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a strong opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the general election of 2027.
Over the course of the last three months, a wide coalition of political leaders from both the North and the South have met and come to the conclusion that the PDP is no longer able to function as an effective opposition, according to investigations by the Nigerian Tribune.
It was stated that a committee was established in late December 2024 to complete the creation of a new mega party, with an announcement of the party’s organization due in late February.

The alliance opposing the All Progressives Congress (APC) is reportedly considering the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other minor registered parties as platforms.

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Because several of its governors are allegedly terrified of President Tinubu and are secretly pushing for his reelection, the PDP is not included prominently in the calculation, according to a source.

Choice of presidential applicant
Despite the progress of the talks, the coalition’s presidential candidate has not yet been settled.

The following names have surfaced as possible flagbearers: Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 candidate for the PDP; Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 candidate of the Labour Party and a former governor of Anambra State; Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State; Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State and former minister of transportation; Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former governor of Sokoto State and former Speaker of the House of Representatives; and former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is allegedly being considered as a wildcard choice to oppose a candidate from the southern APC.

While waiting for INEC to release the 2027 election schedule in May, the leaders are weighing four or five choices, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. A southern candidate like Peter Obi is seen by some as necessary for the APC to be successfully challenged.

It is also said that the recently finished Democracy Summit in Abuja was a component of the strategic mobilization activities that preceded the establishment of the new party.

“The North seems to have decided on a candidate they think can pose a serious challenge to the APC in 2027,” a source said. In order to bring important opposition forces together before the election, the alliance is being organized.

The Role of Peter Obi
Peter Obi is allegedly gaining traction among the names being considered since some coalition members feel that the alliance cannot succeed without his participation.

Obi and Tambuwal are still important figures in the ultimate decision, even though Atiku is currently the opposition’s focal point, according to a source.

But given that Atiku will be 81 years old by the 2027 elections, there are worries about his age. Proponents respond by pointing to Donald Trump’s ongoing political significance in the US.

The Role of the League of Northern Democrats (LND)
Various opposition parties are reportedly being brought together into a single political force by a new organization called the League of Northern Democrats (LND), which is headed by former Kano State governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.

Although there is still more than two years until the 2027 elections, the opposition’s plans to take on the APC are still up in the air, but the formation of a new mega party seems more likely.