Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has announced the formation of a new coalition of opposition political parties aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Atiku made the declaration on Thursday at a press conference held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where he addressed journalists on behalf of the opposition leaders. The coalition, comprising key political figures, seeks to present a united front against what they describe as the president’s unconstitutional actions and governance failures.
As part of its agenda, the coalition strongly criticised President Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the suspension of elected officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.
Atiku, flanked by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Labour Party spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, called on the National Assembly to reject the move.
He also urged the judiciary to swiftly overturn the president’s pronouncement, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent for arbitrary removal of governors in the future.
“Section 305 of the Constitution allows the President to declare a state of emergency only in extreme cases where public safety, national security, or Nigeria’s sovereignty is at serious risk. However, it does not grant him the power to suspend elected officials or to demolish democratic structures as he has brazenly done,” Atiku stated.
He described Tinubu’s decision as “a clear subversion of democracy and an imposition of autocratic federal control over a duly elected state government.”
The coalition urged civil society organisations, political groups, and all Nigerians to reject what they termed an assault on the Constitution and democratic institutions.
The coalition leaders pledged to engage stakeholders across party lines in preparation for 2027, signalling the beginning of an intensified political battle against Tinubu’s administration.
