2027 Race: Lukman Cautions Atiku, Obi Over Divisive Presidential Ambitions

Salihu Moh. Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned that the personal ambitions of prominent opposition politicians, if left unchecked, could pave the way for an easy re-election victory for President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party in 2027.

Speaking on Arise News Morning Show monitored in Abuja on Friday, former APC National Vice Chairman (North-West) and founding chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Lukman, warned that Nigeria’s opposition risks repeating the same mistakes that weakened its chances in the 2023 general election.

Lukman expressed concern that instead of building a united and formidable coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, opposition leaders appear to be prioritizing personal political ambitions, a move he believes could hand President Bola Tinubu an easy path to re-election.

His remarks came while reacting to the recent Court of Appeal judgment in Abuja, which overturned an earlier Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties. Although he welcomed the legal victory,

Lukman stressed that judicial success alone cannot guarantee electoral success without genuine unity among opposition leaders.As a Nigerian, I am not excited by all this development because if you recall, as an advocate of the coalition and the unity of the opposition leaders

when we started about two years ago, the objectives were basically two: to get the opposition leaders united and to also factor the need to build a party that can hold elected leaders accountable,” Lukman said.

He added that while the court ruling may allow the ADC to participate in future elections, it would amount to little if opposition leaders continue to repeat the divisions that cost them dearly in 2023.

“As it is today, I think no matter what comes out of the judicial process, we can have a party that can contest the election, but I see us going back to 2023, repeating almost the same things that happened in 2023 and expecting a miracle to happen,” he stated.

Lukman also criticized the current state of governance under the APC, arguing that the absence of a strong and united opposition has left Nigerians with few credible political alternatives.

“We are all troubled by the fact that here we are boxed with an APC government and an elected leadership that is hardly accountable, and by the day, by the hour, things keep getting worse,” he said.

According to him, elections should provide voters with genuine choices and create healthy political competition capable of producing better leadership. However, he warned that the opposition’s internal divisions could undermine that objective ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The hope and expectation is that election will produce competition on the basis of which better new leadership can emerge. So far as a nation, it seems we are not approaching that at all, and in the 2027 election, we may end up mismanaging ourselves as an opposition,” Lukman said.

He concluded by urging prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, to place Nigeria’s future above their individual presidential ambitions, warning that personal interests should not be allowed to derail the collective effort to build a credible alternative for Nigerians.

Former APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, has admitted that the ruling party has abandoned the progressive principles on which it was established in 2013.Speaking on the party’s evolution, Lukman said the APC was originally created to bring meaningful transformation to Nigeria but gradually lost its direction despite repeated appeals from loyal members.

We wanted a progressive party that would transform Nigeria, but over time the party degenerated. Many of us appealed to its leaders to return to those ideals, but nothing changed,” he said.  also faulted the Federal Government’s implementation of major economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market. He argued that the

reforms were introduced without sufficient measures to protect ordinary Nigerians from the resulting economic hardship. soaring inflation, rising food prices, and declining agricultural productivity are clear signs that many citizens have yet to experience the promised benefits of the government’s reforms.

Despite his criticism of the APC, Lukman maintained that the burden of changing Nigeria’s political direction lies largely with the opposition. He urged opposition leaders to set aside personal ambitions, negotiate in good faith, and unite behind a single presidential candidate capable of presenting Nigerians with a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 general election