A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, on Friday dismissed the coalition of opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general election as a waste of time.
Some opposition elements led by Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar formed a coalition last month in the efforts to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the next general election.
Also in the group were the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and other aggrieved persons in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
El-Rufai dumped the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) last month.
Fayose, who featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, said the coalition would fail because the PDP governors who are fighting for their own political survival are not with Atiku.
He said most of the governors elected on the opposition parties’ platforms prefer Tinubu to the former vice president for their survival.
He noted that no prominent Nigerian is part of the coalition arrangement.
The former governor vowed that he would work against Atiku again in the 2027 election.
He said: “Their coalition is a dead horse ab initio. Tell me one positive person, well respected Nigerians that has given his voice in support of this coalition.
“If anybody is fighting out of issues with his party, he can resolve that with his party. The (PDP) governors’ actions and statement in Ibadan is to tell Atiku that we are not with you, we are going nowhere, we have our own identity.
“So, that coalition is just in the imagination of people trying to bring it to fruition. So, let me say to you, it’s a waste of time.
“I publicly worked against Atiku, and I am saying for the second time, if Atiku comes again, I will work against him. It is time to learn our lesson.
“After eight years of a Northerner, it is the turn of a Southerner which could involve someone from the East, South-West or South-South.
“Those who gave or zoned power back to the North caused all these problems.
“You don’t have to like a Nyesom Wike or a Peter Obi, but there should be an unwritten, respected gentleman’s understanding of power shift.”
© Ripples Nigeria