Group accuses Obasanjo of undermining opposition to boost Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid

By Jude Opara

A Yoruba socio-political organisation, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of allegedly working to weaken Nigeria’s opposition parties to pave the way for President Bola Tinubu’s reported second-term ambition ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a statement issued by its President, Akin Malaolu, the group claimed that Obasanjo’s recent criticism of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was not merely a personal attack but a calculated move aimed at destabilizing the opposition coalition.

The allegation followed Obasanjo’s letter to former Ogun State Governor, Chief Segun Osoba, in which he accused Atiku of encouraging the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to initiate impeachment proceedings against him while he was president.

Atiku had dismissed the allegation, accusing Obasanjo of remaining resentful over his role in frustrating the former president’s failed third-term agenda.

Reacting, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum argued that Obasanjo deliberately mentioned the late Na’Abba because he was no longer alive to respond to the allegations.

The group maintained that Obasanjo’s actions should be viewed against the backdrop of ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that the former president’s interventions were designed to weaken opposition parties.

It further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was merely a strategy to conceal his alleged backing for Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the forum, opposition leaders consulted Obasanjo before adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their coalition platform, but claimed the former president was focused on securing Obi as the coalition’s presidential candidate.

The group also alleged that Obasanjo privately indicated he would withdraw support for Obi if the former Anambra governor accepted the coalition’s vice-presidential ticket.

It further claimed that after Obi eventually aligned with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Obasanjo encouraged political defections to the party through Kwankwaso as part of a broader political strategy.

The forum also alleged, without providing evidence, that the former president was discreetly collaborating with a member of President Tinubu’s family to support the president’s 2027 re-election bid.

According to the group, Obasanjo’s recent political moves amount to an attempt to weaken the opposition and improve the ruling party’s chances in the next general election.