Osita Okechukwu, former Director‑General of the Voice of Nigeria and senior APC chieftain, told Tunde Thomas that a coalition of opposition parties aimed at challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections is bound to collapse.
Okechukwu said the coalition would fail because “lack of unity, personal ambitions and greed by some powerful members of the group” would undermine its cohesion. He added that the group’s internal divisions already show signs of cracks.
When asked about the idea of fielding a single opposition candidate, Okechukwu described it as a “patriotic move” that could help restore confidence in Nigeria’s democracy. “I would like my great party, the APC, to triumph,” he said, while noting that the ultimate goal of a two‑party system is to give voters a clear choice and prevent dictatorship.
He recalled the 2013 merger that created the APC, crediting President Tinubu for “subordinating or strategically deferring his personal ambition” to support Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. “Tinubu surveyed the environment, recognised Buhari’s 12 million vote‑bank and postponed his bid,” Okechukwu said, describing the move as a sacrifice for the opposition’s unity.
Okechukwu criticised the decline of the Peoples Democratic Party, attributing it to “unpatriotic elements” who breached zoning conventions. He also warned that the G100, led by Malam Salihu Lukman and including figures such as Professor Pat Utomi, would struggle because “ego‑prone presidential aspirants” would frustrate the group’s unity.
Concluding, Okechukwu said the coalition “has already stumbled” and that he would bet on the APC’s success. “They are not united. Some cannot forgo personal interests for national interests,” he said, warning that the opposition’s lack of cohesion could ultimately reward the APC.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
