Amid growing dissent, Presidency dismisses coalition rumours as ‘political hallucination’

Amid growing political murmurs about a possible coalition forming to challenge the current administration, the Nigerian Presidency has publicly downplayed such speculations, describing them as baseless and disconnected from political reality.

In a statement shared Wednesday via his official X account, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, rejected claims of a surging opposition front. He dismissed the reports as a “political hallucination” with no tangible backing among Nigeria’s major political actors.

“To say a political coalition is surging when in fact no one is interested in it is a political hallucination,” Bwala asserted, adding that there has been little to no interest shown by influential stakeholders in such an alliance.

He pointed to recent public statements by key figures and bodies within opposition ranks, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, all of whom have denied any involvement in coalition talks.

“The Governors’ Forum of PDP said they are not interested, the NWC of PDP said same. Peter Obi recently said he is not in any coalition talks, Labour Party people said they are not interested,” Bwala reiterated.

READ ALSO: Atiku to Bwala: I don’t need validation from politicians without principles

In contrast, Bwala claimed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to gain strength, noting an influx of defectors from opposition parties, including a former PDP vice presidential candidate from the 2023 election.

However, this assertion comes against a backdrop of deepening unrest, both within the opposition and President Tinubu’s own party. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who finished second in the 2023 presidential race with nearly seven million votes, has remained vocal about the need for a robust, united opposition capable of unseating the APC in the next electoral cycle.

Adding to the complexity are prominent voices from within the APC who have recently distanced themselves from the Tinubu administration. Among them are former Attorney General Abubakar Malami and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal. More dramatically, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai renounced his membership in the APC, accused the administration of misgovernance, and aligned with the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

El-Rufai has since urged Nigerians with shared convictions to rally for a common cause: to unseat the APC government come 2027.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now