Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other prominent figures like Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Yemi Osinbajo have been called upon to join forces to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The immediate past National Vice Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Salihu Lukman, in a piece titled “EndBadGovernance Campaign: What Next?” stressed the need for a political party capable of defeating President Tinubu and other political leaders responsible for the hunger and suffering in the country in the 2027 election.
Lukman argued that since it is common knowledge that the government has rendered virtually all registered political parties comatose, there is a need to start the process of uniting aggrieved political leaders across all parties as soon as possible.
While acknowledging that initiatives are already underway in this direction, he said the rising anger in the country must be harnessed and directed toward the emergence of a viable and functional political party distinct from the APC, PDP, LP, and NNPP.
The Kaduna-born politician argued that for any political party to develop the necessary capacity to rescue Nigeria and put the country back on the path of national democratic development, it must appropriately and organically connect with the current #EndBadGovernance campaign.
He stressed that the #EndBadGovernance campaign should be integrated into the structures of any political party that promises to rescue Nigeria and put it back on the path of national democratic development.
He warned that the inability to do so would spell doom for any prospect of challenging and defeating the current APC government led by President Asiwaju Tinubu.
“This is the point when ideally, opposition leaders such as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi, and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso should step forward to provide the needed leadership to reform our democracy and ensure the emergence of a functional political party capable of rescuing Nigeria,” he said.
“In addition to opposition leaders, other political leaders in the APC who have been marginalised within the party should join forces with opposition leaders to rescue the country and put Nigeria back on the path of democratic development. These leaders include Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and many others.”
Continuing, he said, “The restlessness of Nigerian youth must be mobilised and directed appropriately to push INEC to register all new parties that meet every statutory requirement for registration. Whether by design or default, there seems to be an undeclared moratorium on the registration of new parties by INEC.
“Once that is sustained, it will embolden governments at all levels to continue with the current arrogant disposition of behaving like a colonial administration, which has conquered Nigerians and has no obligation to be responsive to the plight of citizens, not to mention being accountable to Nigerians. Being able to produce a functional political party capable of mobilising Nigerians to defeat current leaders is a fundamental precondition to reducing tension in the country and reviving the hopes of Nigerians about the possibility of a better and more prosperous Nigeria.
“Inability to produce a functional political party is partly responsible for why the leaders of the #EndBadGovernance campaign will remain amorphous largely because of the current repressive disposition of the government.
“Already, there are indications of some clampdown activities by security agencies against some Nigerians alleged to be linked to the last protest. The danger is, if care is not taken, it can lead to a full-blown crackdown against political opposition in the country with the possible subversion of legally guaranteed rights of citizens.
“There is therefore an urgent need to develop the appropriate political strategy for citizens, especially Nigerian youths, to organically connect with democratic structures in the country and use them to negotiate effective responses to challenges facing the country.
“In fact, it must be capable of recruiting the leaders of the campaign as potential candidates for the 2027 elections at different levels. The point must be made: if the government led by President Asiwaju Tinubu has failed to connect with Nigerians who are legitimately angry and in need of an opportunity and platform to negotiate their future, opposition and orphaned political leaders in the country must join forces and create the desired democratic alternative openings to start negotiating a prospective and prosperous future for Nigerians.”
“If by October 1, the #EndBadGovernance protest resumes in its amorphous nature without at least a contact team of opposition political leaders being able to intervene and strengthen the organisational nature of the protest, Nigerians should simply write off opposition political leaders as either incompetent, unwilling, or uninterested in developing the requisite democratic structures to produce truly responsive elected governments and leaders in the country.”(Guardian)
