The Presidency has advised politicians forming a coalition against the second-term ambition of President Bola Tinubu to shelve their hopes for 2027 and instead prepare for the 2031 general election when Tinubu would have completed his second term in office.
Presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, issued this advice on Saturday in Abuja while reacting to concerns over the potential of the emerging coalition to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
Dare dismissed the coalition as a “purely opportunistic gathering of disgruntled politicians,” claiming that none of its members matched Tinubu’s democratic credentials or achievements over the past two years.
“The Presidency already rests with the region rightfully due, and that’s where it will remain until 2031,” he stated.
He described the coalition’s alignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a political charade, accusing the group of masking selfish ambitions with claims of fighting injustice.
“There is no injustice to redress—only avaricious ambition to satisfy the cravings of a few for control of the national treasury,” he declared.
Earlier in the week, the Presidency had issued a statement downplaying the significance of the opposition’s adoption of the ADC, asserting that the current political dynamics could not replicate the 2015 electoral victory that ushered in the APC.
“In 2013, the merger that birthed the APC was driven by selflessness, national interest, and strategic discipline,” Dare said. “Leaders at the time were willing to set aside personal ambitions for the greater good. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite commanding the loyalty of several sitting governors, chose to wait. He bided his time, played the long game, and focused on building a viable political platform.”
Dare noted that Tinubu had never lost an election and had never forced his way into power.
“Today, no one in this coalition commands that kind of loyalty or trust. Not one of them can genuinely unite a ward, let alone a country. No one comes close to parading the democratic credentials of President Bola Tinubu,” he added.
