By Kolawole Ojebisi
After weeks of relative silence, the opposition coalition movement has begun to approach its mission of wresting the reins of power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027 with renewed determination.
This is as members of political parties and civil groups planning to forge alliance met in Kano on Tuesday for a major strategy meeting under the banner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The high-level meeting, which was held at the Malam Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies in Mambayya House, Gwammaja, was chaired by Nigeria’s former ambassador to Egypt, Bala Sani.
The political gathering was a potpourri of delegates from opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Peoples Redemptions Party (PRP), Action People’s Party (APP), New Nigeria Movement (NMN), youth organizations, and informal sector groups across Kano State.
Politicians present at the meeting took turns to talk about the necessity of presenting a common front in 2027 to unseat Tinubu.
While addressing the assembly, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, the ADC’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate in Kano and head of the state’s council of clerics, urged opposition parties to embrace unity and strategic planning to thwart Tinubu’s reelection and end the ruling All Progressives Congress’ reign.
“We all now feel the urgency. Everyone must rise because defeating APC will require serious, sincere collaboration—an alliance built on genuine intent, not just political ambition,” Khalil said.
He criticized the APC government for suppressing opposition voices and co-opting institutions that should act as checks, like the National Assembly and the judiciary.
“When those who should hold government accountable start singing its praises, democracy is in danger,” he warned.
In his address, ADC Chairman in Kano, Musa Shuaibu Ungogo said, “there is no gainsaying the fact that Nigerians have lost faith in our democratic system, they have lost confidence in political elites’s ability to steer this nation towards meaningful growth, sustainable development and sustained leadership in Africa. Today we must reignite that hope, we must demonstrate that politics can still be a force for good, a tool for national redemption, and a vehicle for the aspiration of the common man,”
“Victory is impossible without unity. The APC won in 2015 because all their contenders shelved personal ambitions and rallied behind Muhammadu Buhari,” said political analyst, Professor Kamilu Sani while identifying discipline, sacrifice and compromise as key ingredients for fruitful alliance.
Dr. Saidu Ahmad Dukawa also cautioned that internal democracy must not be compromised.
“When candidates are imposed, it spells doom for the party. Injustice kills political parties,” he stated.
Party representatives echoed their commitment to the coalition. Sani Lawan Es, APP’s Kano State Secretary, voiced concerns about trust: “Our fear is betrayal—being used and dumped. But if everyone plays fair, we can succeed.”
Abba Bukar Dambatta of the LP and a member of its national presidential campaign committee encouraged the alliance to remain resilient: “To those who think this is impossible— don’t lose hope. We’ve endured hardship for 10 years; we’ve been through the fire. Everyone feels the pain now.”
Recall that there is an emerging coalition party being led by prominent opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, LP’s Peter Obi, and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The proponents of the movement are strategizing to form a formidable alliance to challenge Tinubu and the ruling APC in 2027.
