Former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and 2023 presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, has revealed that the inability of opposition candidates to form a united front in the 2023 general election gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the needed advantage to secure victory.
According to him, the disunity among Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ultimately weakened the opposition bloc. He emphasized that the fragmentation of votes was a decisive factor that handed Tinubu his win under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Opposition Votes Could Have Changed the Outcome
In an interview with The Sun, Ohuabunwa stated that if the votes garnered by the three major opposition figures had been combined, the results would have been different. He stressed that the collective votes of Obi, Atiku, and Kwankwaso nearly doubled those of President Tinubu in 2023, which shows that unity could have significantly altered the political landscape.
“If those votes were merged, Tinubu would not have emerged victorious,” Ohuabunwa noted, highlighting the critical role of coalition politics in Nigeria’s democracy.
Why Tinubu Benefited from Opposition Defections
Ohuabunwa further explained that the exit of the three powerful politicians and their supporters from the PDP was a huge loss to the party and a turning point in the election. Their departure created an opening that allowed the ruling APC to consolidate its strength and emerge victorious.
He argued that the APC capitalized on the disunity, just as it had done in the past when it rose to power through a coalition involving the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
The 2027 Election and the Possibility of a Coalition
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Ohuabunwa expressed optimism that if Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso can put aside personal ambitions and unite, they have a real chance to unseat the ruling party. However, he warned that the APC is determined to frustrate any attempt at forming such a coalition.
“From all indications, the APC does not want this alliance to succeed. They don’t want it to take root, talk less of bearing fruit. But if the opposition can work together, they will have the numbers to defeat the ruling government—provided there is a free and fair election,” he added.
The politician maintained that Nigeria’s history has shown the power of alliances. Just as APC once used coalition politics to dethrone the PDP, he believes a united opposition can reverse the current power dynamics in 2027
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