African Democratic Congress chieftain Salihu Mohammed Lukman has warned that the opposition is sleepwalking towards a humiliating defeat in the 2027 general elections, saying internal divisions and the unchecked personal ambitions of senior figures will deliver another term to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Lukman made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, July 30, expressing alarm that the opposition is reproducing the exact mistakes that denied it victory in previous election cycles.
Divided opposition, same old problem
The ADC chieftain pointed directly at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Rotimi Amaechi, arguing that their refusal to surrender individual presidential ambitions for a common platform remains the greatest obstacle to removing the APC from power.
"Lack of unity among the opposition was largely responsible for the electoral victory of APC. The same reality is manifesting itself again with the same two leading opposition personalities emerging as candidates against President Tinubu," Lukman said.
He questioned the sincerity of leaders who claim to want an end to APC governance yet refuse to coordinate. "If truly their objective is about defeating APC and President Tinubu, why are they unable to recognise that once they are divided, it is as good as conceding electoral victory to APC and President Tinubu?" he asked.
Lukman also challenged the notion that the opposition offers voters a genuine alternative, saying "outside appearances and the personalities emerging as candidates for the 2027 elections, there is substantially hardly anything distinguishing the actors contesting the elections."
Apathy could push votes below 10 million
While acknowledging that public frustration with the APC's economic management is severe, comparing Nigerians' suffering to "living in a teargassed environment," Lukman argued that the opposition's current structure offers no meaningful remedy. Without a strong party framework capable of holding its own leaders accountable, he said an opposition win would simply replace one set of unaccountable politicians with another.
He also raised the alarm over deepening voter cynicism, warning that presidential election turnout could collapse to fewer than 10 million votes if opposition leaders fail to unite. In that scenario, he cautioned, the winner would simply be whoever commands the "more efficient rigging capacity."
"Unless something drastic happens, if votes are to count, the 2027 elections may not register total of more than 10 million votes in the Presidential election," Lukman said.
He urged opposition leaders to return to negotiations immediately and produce a binding agreement on a united front. Failing that, he advised Nigerians to look beyond the entire current political class after 2027.
"Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all the other opposition leaders must be challenged to prove their patriotic disposition," Lukman stressed.
Tinubu warns rivals
Separately, President Bola Tinubu has put his 2027 political rivals on notice, telling Catholic bishops at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, July 28, that he would not make their path to power easy. Tinubu was speaking when he received the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, led by Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso.
The development underscores the high stakes as the 2027 election cycle intensifies, with many analysts watching whether opposition figures can overcome their differences before the polls.
