RismadarVoice Reporters, August 1, 2026
A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has warned that divisions and personal ambitions among opposition leaders could give President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party an easy victory in the 2027 general elections.
Lukman, now a founding chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stated that opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, risk repeating the mistakes that fragmented the opposition ahead of the 2023 election if they fail to establish a united political platform.
Speaking on television programmes monitored in Abuja, Lukman said the opposition’s legal and political gains would have little meaning without genuine cohesion and a credible strategy for challenging the APC.
He expressed frustration that, despite widespread concerns about economic hardship and governance, opposition parties remained divided.
“The personal ambition of leaders in the opposition” should not be placed above “the destiny of rescuing the country,” he said.
Lukman disclosed that he suspended his membership in the ADC about two weeks ago due to his dissatisfaction with the direction of opposition politics. He said partisan interests should not prevent political actors from working together to address what he described as the country’s serious challenges.
According to him, consultations are ongoing among political actors to persuade opposition leaders to return to the negotiating table and reach an agreement focused on national interest rather than individual presidential ambitions.
He argued that the opposition should ultimately rally behind a single, credible presidential candidate capable of defeating the APC in 2027.
Lukman also criticised attempts to make the opposition debate primarily about regional zoning, saying competence, accountability and the ability to deliver responsible governance should take precedence.
He further questioned the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that electoral credibility must be demonstrated through the conduct of elections rather than declarations by political leaders.
He advocated an electoral process with less military and security-force presence, pointing to neighbouring West African countries where elections, he said, are conducted with less disruption to normal civic and economic activities.
Lukman warned that continued opposition fragmentation could lead to voter apathy and weaken confidence in the electoral process.
“2027 will be more of a coronation than an election,” he said, arguing that many Nigerians are already experiencing economic hardship and may become disillusioned if they believe the outcome is predetermined.
The former APC chieftain also criticised the party’s current direction, saying it had moved away from the progressive ideals that informed its formation in 2013. He equally faulted aspects of the Federal Government’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate liberalisation, arguing that insufficient measures were introduced to cushion their effects on citizens.
Lukman maintained that the opposition bears much of the responsibility for changing the political landscape in 2027.
He urged opposition leaders to place national interest above personal ambition, negotiate across party lines and present a united candidate who can offer Nigerians a credible alternative to the Tinubu administration.
