'He Is Playing Ping Pong' - Presidency, APC Tackle El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Others Over 2027 Coalition

The Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have dismissed the possibility of an opposition coalition unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, labeling recent political maneuvers by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as politically opportunistic and without merit.

Their reactions came after a high-profile visit by Atiku and El-Rufai, who were joined by former governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo), to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna last week.

While Atiku described the visit as a mere post-Sallah courtesy call, political analysts and members of the ruling party believe the gathering was part of broader talks aimed at forming an opposition coalition to undermine Tinubu's political base.

"There is a plan for the major political parties to come together and form a strong opposition. But it is not part of our visit," Atiku clarified in a statement to the press.

Recent weeks have seen growing speculation within the APC over the possibility of a coalition and concerns about the potential defection of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc to the Social Democratic Party, following several high-profile defections.

However, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Bashiru swiftly dismissed these claims, questioning the credibility of the defection narrative in a phone interview with The PUNCH.

"It is not true. Which CPC bloc did you people say is leaving? Was El-Rufai or Atiku a CPC member? Is our Vice National Chairman (North-West), Garba Datti Mohammed, and even former Governor Al-Makura not in the CPC? Have you heard any of them saying he is leaving?" Bashiru queried. "I don't know why the media keeps giving these sorts of people unnecessary attention."

Also weighing in, President Tinubu's Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, dismissed the coalition talks as a desperate grab for power by individuals with no cohesive political ideology.

"This coalition is an association to grab power," Bwala said. "That's why you will hear Peter Obi say they are only there to grab power. Tomorrow, he will say he is considering joining. As for my senior brother, El-Rufai, I like what he is doing. He is using them to play ping pong."

Bwala further commented on El-Rufai's attempts to pull the opposition into the Social Democratic Party (SDP), claiming that internal resistance within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had already thwarted his efforts.

"When El-Rufai came, he thought he would move all of them to SDP. But His Excellency (Sule Lamido) screamed, 'Hold it there!' He reminded them that it was the PDP that made El-Rufai minister twice and gave him political relevance. Now, he wants to drag them out? We're not going anywhere," Bwala recounted.