by Ola Williams
Bashir El-Rufai has criticised Nigeria’s opposition politicians over their inability to unite ahead of the 2027 presidential election, warning that continued divisions could once again work in favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a post shared on X on Tuesday, El-Rufai said opposition leaders appeared to be repeating the same mistakes that, according to him, helped Tinubu secure victory in the 2023 presidential election.
“This man only got 8M votes. Waziri 6M. Obi 6M (I think),” he wrote, apparently referring to Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
“I will never understand how these seasoned politicians are making the same mistakes committed last time due to the lack of cohesion resulting in the splitting of votes,” he added.
Tinubu, candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Obi of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, a contest many analysts described as heavily influenced by a fragmented opposition.
El-Rufai further suggested that the growing attention around the African Democratic Congress had unsettled political opponents because of speculation that it could emerge as a platform for a broad opposition coalition.
“For a while, the ADC put the fear of God in their hearts, and that’s because they know what we all know,” he stated.
His remarks come amid renewed coalition talks among opposition figures seeking to challenge the ruling APC in the 2027 general election.
Recent discussions had linked Obi, Atiku and former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to possible political cooperation under alternative platforms, including the ADC, although no formal alliance has been announced.
Obi and Kwankwaso recently left the ADC to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress, further reshaping the opposition landscape ahead of 2027.
