After failing to get a position in the current administration, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai chose to join the effort to establish a coalition against President Bola Tinubu, according to former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman Hilliard Eta.
El-Rufai, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, were reportedly leading the effort to establish a coalition against Tinubu.
There is nothing unique about El-Rufai, Eta said during an appearance on AIT Focus Nigeria, emphasizing that he and other individuals played a bigger role in electing Tinubu as president than the former governor.

Read Also: Abuja Estate Residents Panic Over Kidnap Invasion

Tinubu is an expert at establishing alliances, the APC chieftain said, dismissing the coalition move.
He stated that the most of them were once friends of the current president, and individuals such as El-Rufai believed he may be appointed Minister under Asiwaju.

You raise the question of whether El-Rufai would be working on coalition today if he had been minister at the time. He would undoubtedly be showing Nigerians his report card at this point in his government, whether he wants to or not.

“Let me tell El-Rufai that if we couldn’t be ministers, why should he be special? People like us played a bigger role in the president’s creation than he did.

Individuals like Kwankwaso and Aregbesola were strong allies of Tinubu; they are self-centered and narrow-minded.

“Keep in mind that this is the maestro of coalition building; he has been there since the days of NADECO. Keep that in mind while you are fighting and trying to construct a coalition.

Since self-preservation, not enlightenment, is what motivates many of our people to enter politics, what you are doing now is really a game for him. What makes you believe that it won’t come to you later if it hasn’t come to you yet? Even if it doesn’t affect you personally, everyone benefits when the nation improves.

Solomon Dalung, who served as Youth and Sports Minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has given the Bola Tinubu administration a low performance rating.
When assessing the state of affairs in the nation, Dalung bemoaned the fact that Nigeria had never experienced such a dire situation.
He said that the government has done a terrible job in its first two years in office and blamed President Tinubu’s administration for the economic problems that many citizens have experienced as a result of government policies.

According to reports, the former Minister claimed in an interview with Vanguard that the president had done a lousy job and that the impoverished Nigerians will punish him in the upcoming presidential election.

Read Also: What Atiku Told Peter Obi and Northern Delegation During Crucial Meeting

He claims that President Tinubu’s performance has fallen short of 10 percent.

Given that good governance improves people’s well-being and that openness, accountability, and justice are its indices, I believe that the nation’s level of good governance has never been worse than it is now, at least not in the last two years.

These three paradigms from the previous two years have vanished. Thus, the administration has done a lousy job if I were to rate them on good governance. Less than 10% is their score,” Dalung stated.

As coalition talks heat up ahead of the 2027 presidential election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, met with northern political leaders from across the 19 northern states on Thursday.
According to reports, hundreds of political figures from Abuja came together for the event, which was organized by the secretariat of the newly formed coalition and was sponsored by the National Political Consultative Group (NPCG) North.

Atiku Abubakar, a prominent supporter of opposition unity, reflected on his tenure alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his speech.

In particular, he recalled how they responded to the Boko Haram insurgency, mentioning the directive given to military chiefs to either put an end to the insurgency or step down.

“This ultimatum was successful. In just a few weeks or months, the insurgency was crushed. It was finished by the time we left. I was totally taken aback. However, when we departed, it reappeared,” Atiku said, stressing that the problem was not entirely resolved.

Additionally, Atiku emphasized the administration’s initiatives to address police shortcomings, bringing up the notable underpolicing in Nigeria as documented by the UN.

“I told the president that Nigeria is woefully underpoliced,” What can we do, he asked? I informed him that there were other police colleges that had been shut down throughout the states and recommended that they be reopened with additional policemen. And that’s exactly what we did,” Atiku remembered.

Atiku continued by outlining how the Obasanjo government adopted a novel strategy for acquiring police weapons, avoiding onerous contracting processes and speaking with police personnel and diplomats directly to obtain necessary equipment.

But in spite of these initiatives, Atiku pointed out that Nigeria still has a terrible police-to-population ratio, with 340,000 officers charged with protecting 240 million people. He drew attention to the sharp contrast with Egypt, which has one million police officers for every 100 million citizens.

Atiku emphasized the necessity of thorough reforms in Nigeria’s security sector, saying, “These are challenges we must face head-on.”

Atiku then turned to education, considering the measures implemented to increase access, especially in the North, under the Obasanjo government. He referenced the Universal Basic Education Act, which mandated that all Nigerian children receive free primary and secondary education, as well as the implementation of an education tax to fund educational programs.

Read Also: Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi, & Other Top Coalition Leaders Hold Crucial Expanded Meeting in Abuja

While describing a trip to Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s hometown, where he saw the scope of the Almajiri situation, Atiku too broke down in tears.

“I almost cried,” he remarked. There were throngs of Almajiri children on the flight from Katsina airport to Daura. Many of our early republic leaders attended the erstwhile Katsina College, which is located here. Almajirai—young lads in their twenties, thirties, and forties, from Katsina to Daura and back again—have taken over it today, he claimed.

“These are highly important problems. They are about our kids and grandkids as well as us.

“Thank God I’ve lived my life,” I say to my kids. But you and your children are the focus of this. These difficulties must be addressed.

In a high-stakes political gathering that could reshape Nigeria’s leadership landscape, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and other prominent figures held an expanded coalition meeting in Abuja, signaling a possible united front to address the nation’s deepening challenges.

At the meeting, Peter Obi delivered a stirring address centered on national unity, accountability, and economic revival through agriculture. “I know we have issues here and there,” Obi began. “But this is the time to build trust among ourselves, believe that we are one, and know that we can save this country. We can survive our population.”

Obi urged Nigerians to move beyond religious and ethnic voting patterns and instead build confidence and capacity. He called on citizens to hold their leaders accountable, highlighting that governance — not mere politics — is central to solving Nigeria’s problems.

Using Ukraine as a benchmark, Obi lamented Nigeria’s underperformance in agriculture. “Ukraine, with just 600,000 square kilometers, produces up to 60 million tons of rice. Nigeria, six times its size, cannot produce 10% of that. The entire North is even larger than Ukraine and yet remains underutilized.”

He also decried the decline of former industrial hubs like Kano and Kaduna. “We used to go to Kano for cash; now, nothing is happening there. Kaduna has no industries left. That’s the poverty, and where there’s poverty, there’s insecurity,” he warned.

Reiterating his long-held belief, Obi stated, “The North can change Nigeria. Our greatest assets are in the North. We can make more from agriculture than we ever made from oil.”

The meeting concluded with a shared understanding among attendees that Nigeria’s future depends on visionary leadership, economic investment, and national cohesion — a message that resonated across political divides.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has been urged by former Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) chairman Sam Amadi to refrain from behaving like a king.
He encouraged Atiku to follow Peter Obi’s example in the Labour Party (LP).
According to Amadi, Atiku needs to shed his excessive “royalty” and act like a company leader or professional.

Amadi, who is also the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, cautioned Atiku from behaving like an emir, ooni, or obi via his 𝕏 account, insinuating that Nigeria is neither a “emirate nor a kingdom.”

Atiku is not so horrible, according to the former NERC boss, who said he might be president.
“Atiku may become president,” he stated. He’s not awful at all. However, he must address the issue of excessive “royalty.” Let him be like @PeterObi.

Instead of being an Emir, Ooni, or Obi, act like a professional or company leader. Nigeria neither possesses a kingdom nor an emirate.

According to Amadi, if Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s previous presidential candidate, is not included in the opposition coalition, no one will be able to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

According to rumors, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has offered Peter Obi the position of vice president under a single-term coalition ticket ahead of the 2027 elections. This is the context of Amadi’s remarks.

Read Also: National Assembly Joint Committee Finalizes Work on Tax Reform Bills

Amadi’s statements highlight Obi’s pivotal role in any possible attempt to unseat Tinubu, despite Obi’s insistence that his only goal is to form a coalition to solve problems like hunger, poverty, and the declining quality of healthcare and education in Nigeria.

Amadi, the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, reaffirmed Tuesday on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) that Peter Obi is essential to any candidate aiming to take on Tinubu in 2027.

According to him, “the truth is that nobody can defeat Tinubu without @PeterObi.” You have to determine what this truth means. This accounts for the gloom and violence on this street.
With the words, “The circle can be squared with respect and deep good faith,” Amadi emphasized the significance of solidarity and regard for one another in any political partnership.