Former Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole has said divisions within the opposition camp could strengthen the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Oshiomhole claimed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was inadvertently helping the APC by criticising fellow opposition figure Peter Obi.
According to the senator, ongoing disagreements among opposition leaders, including Obi and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, show a lack of unity that could work in the APC’s favour.
“You mean that APC would be worried about which of the parties now… ADC? I saw Atiku. Atiku is now our best campaign manager because he is attacking Obi, and I see Obi attacking Amaechi,” Oshiomhole said.
“I see Amaechi say Obi is a regional player, Atiku is a regional player, and he is the only national player, but he didn’t tell us what his ward unit looks like,” he added.
Oshiomhole expressed confidence that the APC would defeat opposition parties in 2027 regardless of any coalition arrangement. He also challenged opposition leaders to state clearly which policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu they would reverse if elected into office.
“They have to speak to the new policies that they would reverse, whether they would reverse taxation, reverse fuel subsidy removal, student loans, or reverse any of those bold decisions that President Tinubu has taken,” he said.
The APC chieftain further argued that opposition figures were united mainly by their quest for political power, while maintaining that Tinubu’s administration had implemented difficult but necessary reforms aimed at improving Nigeria’s economy.
Political activities ahead of the 2027 elections have continued to gather momentum, with major opposition figures positioning themselves against the APC.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Rotimi Amaechi are among the prominent politicians expected to influence the political landscape ahead of the polls.
The opposition leaders had initially considered forming a united front under the African Democratic Congress to challenge the APC more effectively.
However, Obi and Kwankwaso later moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, citing unresolved legal issues surrounding the ADC. Atiku and Amaechi remain in the ADC, although the party has yet to determine who will emerge as its presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the APC has waived the screening requirement for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections. APC spokesman Felix Morka said the party’s National Working Committee took the decision during its 188th meeting on Wednesday, declaring Tinubu “duly screened” to participate in the party’s forthcoming primaries.
