Ahead of 2027 general elections, the opposition on the platform of coalition is targeting 26 million votes to defeat the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This was revealed to Sunday Telegraph by a key member of the coalition group, who was a former Minister in the immediate past President Mohammadu Buhari administration.
According to the member, the 26 million votes would be a total sum of 12 million votes of former President Muhammadu Buhari, 8 million votes of the former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the last election and 6 million votes of the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
“In the last Presidential election of 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner of the election with less than 9 million votes,” the coalition member said.
The Coalition member, who craved anonymity, said it would be difficult to see a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member from the North defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as it is generally believed that the APC government is not progressive.
The member, opined that the Southern governors of PDP defecting into APC were doing so in solidarity because they feel that power should be retained in the South for another four years.
“Should they see another Southern Presidential candidate supported by other geopolitical zones, there is high tendency that they would change their minds,” the source said.
The governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevewori; former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other PDP stakeholders from the state last week defected to APC.
Also within last week, after Delta State governor’s defection, the governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Out, said two more governors of PDP would soon defect to APC. Otu spoke in reaction to the defection of Delta governor.
Also speaking on the 2027 general elections, members of the defunct CPC said power must not return to the North in 2027.
According to a defunct CPC member, who said their members would not join any coalition against the present government: ‘It will be unjust for any Northerner to say they were being marginalized and therefore, seeking to return the Presidency to the North.”
The coalition member, speaking, said that a lot of works have been done in the coalition as persons like the former APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; former Senate President, Senator David Mark; former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola; former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN; Presidential candidate of Labour Party in the last election, Peter Obi; Presidential candidate of PDP in the last election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-rufai; former governor also of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makafi and many others across the regions were deeply in discussion.
“There is a resolve that this government cannot continue and it has nothing to do with power should be returned to the North.
“The corruption in this government and bad governance are unprecedented.
“The coalition major concern is on how to convince the former Vice President and the PDP Presidential candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, to step down his ambition.
“The coalition is working hard to convince Atiku Abubakar not to contest the Presidential election come 2027 and not to accept any dangling carrot from the APC.Set featured image
“The Coalition would be looking at the former governor of Kaduna State, El Rufai, and the governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed to play a major role as Vice Presidential candidates.”
He added: “One of the things we have also agreed on is that the name of any party we will adopt as the vehicle for the coalition would be changed. We are also working on that.
“We have gone far on that and it would be for us to file the relevant documents to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
“I assure you that we are working tireless to get it right this time around. Politicians have fooled this country a lot and we are not looking at zones for now but individuals that would be acceptable to all, including members of the APC.
“Our target is to harness the 12 million votes of former President Muhammadu Buhari, 8 million votes of Atiku Abubakar in the last election and 6 million votes of Peter Obi, also in the last election to defeat the present government. We are not worried over the solidarity governors defecting to APC.”
