Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has expressed disappointment that the opposition coalition that could have strengthened Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections has been derailed by greed and personal ambition.
Dalung made the remark on Friday during an interview, where he said the expectations of Nigerians had been undermined by divisions among opposition leaders.
According to him, selfish interests have taken priority over collective goals, leading to a proliferation of presidential aspirants across various political platforms.
“Greed has taken over. You can see the manifestation of individual ambition and interest, and the list of presidential candidates seems to be endless,” he said.
He added that opposition political elites are more focused on personal ambition to gain access to power, which has resulted in fragmentation across parties.
“The opposition political elites are more interested in their personal ambition to access power, and that is why they are fragmented from one political party to another,” he said.
Dalung also drew parallels between the current political climate and Nigeria’s First Republic, noting that regional interests now appear to be dominating the electoral landscape.
“Nigeria has returned to the politics of the First Republic, where regions had their political parties. The election is already divided along those lines, because almost all the zones have presidential candidates,” he said.
He warned that the 2027 general elections could be marked by confusion if the trend continues, as candidates may end up relying heavily on regional support bases.
“So, ultimately in 2027, we may be facing serious confusion as we advance towards the election, because everybody now is going to hold on to his region. The candidates will concentrate on votes coming from their regions,” he added.
