“TINUBU LABELS OPPOSITION COALITION AS ‘POLITICAL IDPs’ PLANNING TO UNSEAT THEMSELVES”
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–President Bola Tinubu has dismissed the opposition coalition forming against him ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing its members as “political Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)” who are ultimately planning to unseat themselves.
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Tinubu made this statement during a one-day presidential visit to Nasarawa State, where he commissioned several legacy projects, including a ₦16 billion Lafia flyover and underpass.
The President urged his supporters not to pay attention to the coalition, emphasizing that they are not a credible threat to his administration.
Tinubu’s remarks come amid reports of opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, building a coalition to challenge his re-election bid in 2027 .
Tinubu’s comments also highlighted his administration’s focus on development, citing the Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule’s commitment to delivering critical infrastructure and promoting agriculture in the state. The President pledged continued support for Governor Sule’s initiatives and encouraged him to prioritize agricultural development alongside solid minerals exploration .
“Just don’t pay them any attention. They are the political IDPs. Don’t give them a home. The hope is here,” he said.
The President, however, commended the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, for bringing development to the state.
He also pledged his administration’s support for the governor to move the state forward.
“Sule is doing well. We will support whatever Governor Sule brings about to work harder for the prosperity and renaissance of Nasarawa State. That is what we stand for.
On his part, Governor Sule appealed to the President to use his good offices to initiate full oil and gas exploration in the Obi Local Government Area of the state, where hydrocarbons were discovered in 2023.
He also thanked Tinubu for his support of the state.
“In 2023, there was an exploration well that was going on in the Obi Local Government Area of the state. There has been a discovery of hydrocarbons in excess of one billion.
“We are asking you, Your Excellency, to ensure that they come back and drill the next exploration well, the appraisal well, and the development package so that we can start producing oil from that site.
“We are telling you that this is the best for the country. We’ll become another Saudi Arabia if we have a deep onshore operation so that we can have integrated oil and gas facilities similar to what they have in Saudi Arabia so that we can do exploration, production, and refining as well as gas and power production and be able to export finished products to other countries,” he added.
Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, opposition leaders, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi; and a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, have been reported as being in talks to form a coalition aimed at defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress.
While fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on May 22, 2025, the spokesman of the former vice president, Paul Ibe, confirmed speculations of a planned coalition to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Well, you and I know that there have been ongoing discussions between Atiku Abubakar and some opposition leaders: Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai,” Ibe said on the show.
“Yes, it’s out there in the open. Discussion is still ongoing, and at the end of that discussion, they will come out with a position and the direction that we’re going to follow based on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.”
However, talks about the coalition gathered momentum last week when a group, the National Opposition Coalition Group (NOCG), comprising major national political figures, including a former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, reportedly went to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register its newly formed political party, All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
The group is chaired by a former Senate President, David Mark.
