By Olaitan Ibrahim
To realise their quest to stop President Bola Tinubu from winning a second term in 2027, some opposition political parties and groups have commenced moves to form what they term the “mother of opposition alliance” against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere representing Ideato Federal Constituency, Imo State, said opposition parties would soon come out with the granite coalition with or without the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Otunba Segun Showunmi, former spokesman for the PDP 2023 Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has launched the National Opposition Movement Coalition, NOMC, also known as ‘The Alternative,’ to revive Nigeria’s democracy.
Endorsing the move, the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, said it “is fully committed to joining forces with other like-minded groups to form a strong coalition that can challenge the APC and Tinubu in 2027.”
Indeed, founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, said that the realignment of political forces would be concretised by the second quarter of 2025.
Also, the National Consultative Front, NCFront declared its readiness to drive the formation and launching of a mega political movement of opposition stakeholders and elements from various opposition political parties in the country ahead of the 2027 elections.
We’re coming with mother of opposition alliance — Ugochinyere
Speaking at his country home, Akokwa, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, Sunday evening, Ugochinyere lamented that the PDP has failed to provide the needed strong and responsible opposition at a time when the country is plagued by myriad of challenges.
He lampooned the PDP governors, who recently passed a vote of confidence in the Ambassador Umar Damagum -led National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP, alleging that the leadership was doing the bidding of a Minister to ensure that PDP did not rise again as a strong opposition in the country.
He submitted that the PDP has never gone this low in its history, disclosing that forces were mobilised to rescue the party and form a formidable opposition.
“We will return to the legal trenches, we will continue to challenge the continued stay of Damagum and Samuel Anyanwu, so that posterity will reckon with our efforts
“If our elders cannot rise to tell Wike to stop this nonsense, we will rise. We are mobilising all forces; it will be a decisive battle, we must end this nonsense. PDP or no PDP, opposition leaders are ready,” he submitted.
Showunmi unveils movement to rescue Nigeria’s democracy
Launching the National Opposition Movement Coalition, NOMC, also known as ‘The Alternative, in Abuja, Otunba Segun Showunmi, said the movement seeks to address the erosion of electoral integrity, lack of ideological direction in political parties, and declining voter confidence in the country.
He highlighted the urgent need for a credible opposition to counter-balance government activities and restore citizens’ faith in democratic processes, saying the coalition would not evolve into a political party but would serve as a civic platform to engage political actors, national stakeholders, civil society, and democratic institutions.
CUPP vows to oust APC, Tinubu in 2027
Speaking on the issue, former Presidential Candidate and National Secretary of the CUPP, Chief Peter Ameh described the announcements of Ugochinyere and Segun Showunmi as “a welcome development in the quest to rescue Nigeria’s democracy.”
He continued: “As a key player in the opposition, CUPP is fully committed to joining forces with other like-minded groups to form a strong coalition that can challenge the APC and Tinubu in 2027.
“We believe that the time has come for Nigerians to come together and demand better governance. The current state of affairs, marked by economic hardship, insecurity, and corruption, is unacceptable. As CUPP, we have been at the forefront of the struggle to emancipate Nigeria from the clutches of bad and corrupt governance.
We welcome all initiatives that can help strengthen our efforts to dismantle the corrupt regime in the country. The Mother of opposition alliance is a step in the right direction, and we are committed to playing a key role in it.
Our goal is clear: To rescue Nigeria from the APC and Tinubu’s misrule and enthrone a new era of good governance, transparency, and accountability. We are confident that with the support of Nigerians, we can achieve this goal and build a better future for our country.
It is time for Nigerians to rise up to save our dear country from bad governance and corruption.”
Expect realignment of political forces by June 2025 —Chekwas Okorie
On his part, Chief Chekwas Okorie said: “I have been aware for a long time that meetings of all sorts have been going on by several groups to corner political power. I have projected on every occasion that this matter came up that there would be a realignment of political forces by the turn of the second quarter of 2025.
“Politics has been loosely defined as concentric circles of conspiracies. I am, however, surprised that the posturing for the 2027 general elections started earlier than expected. Many factors may be responsible for political restiveness in the country. Some of us are still watching and analyzing things as they unfold.
“It is still early for APGA to jump into the fray. Our party is yet to dust off the vestiges of prolonged leadership crises, which derailed the Party from the path of its original vision and mission. We are faced with the onerous responsibility to reposition the party and adorn it with the necessary political paraphernalia for it to be attractive for political engagement.
APGA is ideologically rooted with a distinct identity and focus.
“It makes political sense for political parties of like minds to collaborate or corporate one way or the other. I can say without equivocation that APGA is not cut out for political merger but will not mind a constructive political engagement to engender a progressive coalition government that will usher in national unity, rapid development, equity, justice, equality of citizens and citizenship rights.”
We’ll drive formation of a mega opposition alliance – NCFront
Speaking on the move, Spokesperson of the NCFront, Mallam Hamisu Santuraki, said the group is at “the forefront of driving the formation and launching of a new ultra mega political movement of opposition stakeholders and elements from various opposition political parties in the country ahead of the 2027 elections.”
He continued: “The initiative of the New Mega Opposition Platform is presently involving only leaders and individuals deemed credible and committed to the cause of popular and genuine democracy in the interest of impoverished people and citizens in creating a new Nigeria that works for all.
That process was initiated on February 6, 2024 to coincide with the Birthday of a leading opposition leader in Nigeria, Prof Pat Utomi, who’s the chair of the Fusion Committee of opposition stakeholders from various political parties including the APC, PDP, LP and NNPP, who are credible enough and genuinely opposed to the anti democratic policies of the Tinubu-led APC government.
We’ll welcome other parties to join us to rescue Nigeria – LP
The Labour Party, LP, expressed optimism that it will be in the best position to take over power from the ruling APC in 2027.
Responding to calls for a coalition of opposition parties to oust the APC from power in 2027, National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, told Vanguard: “If you look at the performance of our party in the 2023 general elections considering the fact that we