A former Governor of Kano State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Ibrahim Shekarau, has declared that defeating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections is only possible through a party-led coalition, not an alliance of individuals.
He urged opposition parties to “reinvigorate the existing platform” to achieve a formidable challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Addressing misconceptions about his earlier remarks on coalition talks, Shekarau stressed:
“Some people did not perceive my message correctly. For the sake of clarity, I did not say the coalition could not defeat Tinubu in 2027. What I said was that a coalition of ‘individuals’ rather than parties could not.”
Lessons From the Past
Citing his role in earlier coalition efforts, Shekarau recalled the 2011 failed attempt to unite the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) against former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I was a principal actor in the 2011 attempted coalition, being a Presidential candidate of the ANPP then. We had several meetings at President Tinubu’s residence in Abuja in 2011. At a point, (late former President Muhammadu) Buhari, (Nuhu) Ribadu and I… met at Buhari’s residence… to further discuss the coalition. But it did not work.”
He explained that the eventual success in 2015 came because parties worked as structured platforms, not as individuals seeking office.
The ex-governor detailed the structured merger process that birthed the APC in 2013, involving 89 members from five registered parties, noting it took just eight months from talks to registration.
He cautioned that current talks exclude major opposition parties like PDP, Labour Party (LP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), calling such omissions a recipe for failure.
He said:
“Politics is about people, and elections are about political parties… reinvigorate the existing opposition parties… get them into the coalition moves, and if possible, into a merger to form one strong force to face the APC in 2027.”
He maintained optimism the the coalition still has a chance to put it’s house in order, and emerge victorious in the 2027 polls.
“I am very optimistic that it will work… with the correct vision, mission and focus, plus a genuine sense of righteousness, the narrative in the opposition parties can be changed within this year 2025 for success in the 2027 elections.”
