Okechukwu says no realistic prospect of harmonising opposition presidential candidates as ‘horse has bolted’
The former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has advised opposition parties that there is no realistic prospect of harmonising opposition presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Okechukwu, who is a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said this in a statement he issued on Sunday in Enugu.
He made the statement in reaction to His Excellence Atiku Abubakar’s Media Aide, Mr Paul Ibe, recent press release.
Atiku’s side said: “It is not too late for the opposition to harmonize their strengths ahead of 2027 if the Yar’Adua 2.0 President Tinubu is to be retired to either Bourdillon or Iragbiji.”
It would be recalled that Atiku’s media aide issued the statement following the decision of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which reversed its earlier ruling relating to the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Okechukwu noted that for now, “the horse has bolted” following what he described as Atiku’s serial unstatesman-like breach of Nigeria’s north-south presidential rotation convention.
He lamented that paradoxically Atiku made this self serving statement when all democrats and opposition political parties were questioning the rationale for the decision of the Honourable Justice.
According to him, Atiku should accept responsibility for the irreversible fragmentation of the formidable opposition coalition which the African Democratic Congress (ADC) then represented.
“Albeit many had initially likened ADC coalition to the 2013 APC merger before Atiku converted it to Special Purpose Vehicle.
“Only to today, choose to haul blame darts at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GFCR, who has no hand in neither dismantling PDP in 2023 nor ADC in 2026,” he said.
Okechukwu maintained that President Tinubu’s administration had made unforced errors resulting in public criticism.
“However, Atiku’s determination to pursue the presidency, despite widespread concerns over the zoning and rotation convention, was the principal factor that precipitated ADC coalition’s present conundrum,” he said.
He noted that only a few months earlier, Atiku had expressed great confidence in the coalition.
Okechukwu argued that the recent developments demonstrate that political coalitions cannot be sustained merely by scatter-diagram opposition to an incumbent government.
He said, “But must also be anchored on statesmanship and respect for established democratic conventions, particularly the rotation of the presidency between the North and the South.
“As an APC foundation member, I have nothing to say but to thank Atiku immensely for once deliberately saving his friend, Tinubu, in the forthcoming 2027 Presidential Election as he did during 2003 Governorship Elections in the South-West.”
Okechukwu noted that Atiku by omission or commission had reinforced the long-standing political relationship between Atiku and Tinubu, by disorganizing the ADC.
“This self-inflicted injury cannot be resolved through calls for harmonisation after the coalition has already fractured and Obi/Kwankwaso’s horse had bolted,”: he said.