Atiku campaign spokesman Kenneth Okonkwo urges Nigeria’s opposition to form a coalition — Premium Times Nigeria

In Nigeria, Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesman for the presidential campaign of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said that the fragmentation of opposition votes could strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s position in the 2027 elections. He called on opposition forces to unite political structures, alliances and electoral support around a single candidate, Premium Times Nigeria reports.

Call for a single candidate

Okonkwo spoke on the TVC Politics programme amid efforts by opposition politicians to form a coalition ahead of the presidential election. According to him, no opposition candidate should face the incumbent president without the support of a broad political alliance. He described a coalition as the only way forward for opposition forces.

The politician believes that the separate presidential ambitions of Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and other opposition representatives complicate the creation of such a union. Okonkwo said that Obi’s independent participation in the election could once again split the votes of government opponents.

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Results of the 2023 election

As an argument, Okonkwo cited the results of the 2023 presidential election. According to the final results of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu won 8.7 million votes, Atiku received 6.9 million, and Obi received 6.1 million. Rabiu Kwankwaso, who then represented the New Nigeria People’s Party, received 1.4 million votes.

In total, Atiku and Obi won more than 13 million votes. At the same time, according to analysts cited by the publication, these figures cannot automatically be considered votes that would have gone to one joint candidate, since supporters of different politicians would not necessarily have backed a single opposition representative.

Criticism of the government

During the interview, Okonkwo also criticised the Tinubu administration over the economic situation, security, rising fuel prices and the depreciation of the naira. He said the opposition must offer an alternative economic programme involving lower fuel costs and improved electricity supply and security. These claims reflect Okonkwo’s political position.