2027: Without Coalition, Tinubu Will ‘Eat Obi Like Biscuits’ — Kenneth Okonkwo

The spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has warned that presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, cannot defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election without the backing of a broader opposition coalition.

Okonkwo said the opposition would only stand a realistic chance of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if its major political forces unite behind a single presidential candidate.

He made the remarks in an interview with Ibeju Upgrade Media while reacting to the possibility of Obi, a former Anambra State governor, challenging Tinubu, as well as reports of a possible Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso ticket.

According to Okonkwo, opposition candidates contesting separately would only divide votes that could otherwise be pooled against the APC.

“Coalition is the only way out,” he said.

He was particularly dismissive of Obi’s chances against Tinubu without a coalition.

“So, if Peter Obi goes against Tinubu alone, Tinubu will eat him like biscuits,” Okonkwo said.

He also questioned whether Obi would be able to make significant electoral gains in Kano State, where he contested the 2023 presidential election.

“Will Kano people accept Peter Obi? In 2023, when we had the opportunity, they did not accept him. In 2027, they will not accept him,” he said.

Okonkwo also dismissed the suggestion that Kwankwaso would significantly strengthen an Obi-led presidential ticket.

“Kwankwaso has nothing to contribute to the ticket. Even in Kano, Kwankwaso has lost,” he said.

His comments come amid renewed efforts by opposition politicians and political groups to form a common front against Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

The G100 Opposition Coalition, led by former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Salihu Lukman, has been consulting with opposition leaders and other political actors on the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also endorsed the G100 process as part of efforts to build a wider opposition alliance.

The push for opposition unity has been linked to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, in which Tinubu won with more than eight million votes, while Atiku and Obi each secured more than six million votes.

The division of opposition votes between Atiku and Obi prevented either candidate from consolidating the votes of voters opposed to the APC behind a single challenger.

Attempts to build a united opposition after the election have, however, been complicated by disagreements over leadership, presidential ambitions, ticket arrangements and the choice of a standard bearer.

The realignment became more pronounced after Obi and Kwankwaso moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where they have emerged as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Their emergence on the NDC platform has separated them from the political arrangement around Atiku and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), raising the prospect of multiple major opposition tickets challenging Tinubu in 2027.

While the NDC is promoting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a formidable national combination, Atiku remains the ADC’s presidential candidate.

The development has renewed questions over whether the opposition’s major contenders can set aside their individual ambitions and unite behind a single ticket capable of combining their different regional and voter bases.

The ADC, however, has maintained that Atiku does not necessarily need a coalition to defeat Tinubu, reflecting the continuing disagreement within the opposition over whether a single-ticket arrangement is essential to winning the 2027 presidential election.