By Iyiola Olalere
The Democratic Front (TDF) has described the recent failed summit of the G100 as a clear reflection of opposition’s paper weight compared to President Bola Tinubu’s political strength ahead of the forthcoming 2027 presidential ekection.
In a statement by its Chairman Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary Wale Adedayo, it argued that the failure of the over-hyped summit ended up as a dress rehearsal of their rejection because their move has nothing for the public good, nor is it about advancing collective national aspirations.
“We view the conspicuous absence of the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) Atiku Abubakar and his NDC counterpart Peter Obi from the recently held Summit of opposition parties in Abuja, as a major setback in the opposition’s conspiracy to wrest power next year.
“The summit in Abuja equally represents the climax of failure in the desperate effort of the opposition parties to field a single candidate against President Tinubu in 2027.
“It is on record that we have consistently decried the undemocratic behavior by which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi have pursued their personal political ambitions towards the 2027 presidential election.
“Therefore, it didn’t come to us as a surprise that Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who both initiated the famous Ibadan Declaration of 25th of April 2027, to persuade other opposition parties to adopt a unified front against President Tinubu in the next election, have developed cold feet towards the same objective, now that they have emerged as presidential candidates of the ADC and NDC respectively.
“It is indeed sad to note how badly Atiku and Obi’s rabid pursuit for power have negatively impacted opposition politics in Nigeria. Their selfish and negative influence have led to a total loss of philosophical and ideological focus on the part of opposition parties.
“Internal party discipline has been eroded their cohesion. To worsen matters, arrant disregard for party constitution, political brigandage, and multiple litigations have permeated the organs of the respective opposition parties, from national to state and local government levels.
“It is even more perplexing to note the rising state of confusion in the opposition camp. This is because the opposition had mischievously accused President Tinubu of plotting to close the democratic space to a one-party state, only to turn round to dramatically embark on moves to compromise the principle of multi-party democracy, by attempting to adopt a single presidential candidate from the registered multiple political parties in the country.
The group further argued that the failure of the opposition parties to reach a consensus on a single presidential candidate indicated that the opposition is currently in disarray, and not in anyway capable to pose any electoral threat to President Tinubu’s re-election.
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