The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has said opposition parties can still forge a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections despite the absence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi from Monday’s National Opposition Summit in Abuja.
NDC chieftain and Lagos Central senatorial candidate, Ladipo Johnson, stated this while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.
Johnson said the absence of the two opposition figures should not be interpreted as a rejection of the proposed alliance.
He said: “We have to keep aspiring, but I wouldn’t say that the absence of the gentlemen means that it was not a serious occasion. I wouldn’t say that the absence of my presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, or those of the ADC meant that they had no interest in the matter. They do.”
According to him, political parties must first agree on the framework of an alliance before presidential candidates become central to the negotiations.
“You understand that the party has an important role in party politics and usually at this stage of such negotiations, it is the party that really dots the I’s and crosses the T’s,” he said.
Johnson said opposition parties would have a stronger chance of presenting Nigerians with a credible alternative if they worked together.
“One thing is clear, the stronger we are, the better for us. We have to come together to make sure that we give Nigerians an opportunity, an alternative that is credible and strong,” he said.
He said the alliance should not merely be about defeating the All Progressives Congress, APC, but should provide solutions to Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
“That is strong enough to give Nigerians more confidence. I’m not saying we’re not strong as individual parties. We will give them more confidence that hope and help is on the way to get Nigerians away from the economic doldrums they have faced in recent times and the insecurities,” he said.
Johnson said the current negotiations were different from previous political arrangements involving the African Democratic Congress.
“The situation at that time was totally different. They left because of certain legal reasons that they felt might be inimical to the growth of the party at that time, the ADC,” he explained.
He said opposition parties could support a common presidential candidate without necessarily merging into one political party.
“What you can have is that if you feel it is going to work, then the candidates of a party might go on and other parties will say we are supporting these two people to bring about a unified whatever against the government in power,” he said.
“It was just the principles that were spoken about that we should make sure that we have one presidential candidate that we would all support, and we did not say that person would come from a particular party or the other. So, it is still a possibility,” he added.
Johnson said the emergence of the NDC and the reported pairing of Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso did not prevent other parties from joining the alliance.
“So, you cannot stop aspiring. You remember I said that at the beginning. We cannot stop aspiring,” he reiterated.
Asked whether he would personally support a consensus candidate other than Obi, Johnson said he would respect the decision of his party.
“Definitely, if I am a member, a miniscule, minute member of the NDC, if the party, the leadership, have decided that, OK, we are supporting so-and-so person, who is Ladipo Johnson to say, no, I am going against what the party has said as a whole? You don’t do that,” he said.
Johnson added that the coalition should be about presenting Nigerians with a better alternative.
“It is not just about getting rid of President Bola Tinubu or the APC. For us, in the NDC, especially my two principals, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, it is about presenting something better,” he said.
He also defended Kwankwaso’s decision to support Obi, describing it as an act of statesmanship.
Johnson said the decision followed extensive consultations and considerations about the country’s political balance.
“Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has shown his statesmanship. He has shown that he has ambition, and he contested the last time and actually had ambition to contest, but he sat down with a lot of people over a period of time. It wasn’t overnight; it was a gradual process, and came to the conclusion, firstly, that we now have a southerner in government.”
Johnson also disagreed with claims that Atiku automatically had a larger organic following than Obi, arguing that Atiku’s 2023 votes were obtained under the PDP platform.
“I believe that Atiku Abubakar has been fortunate, especially at the last election, of representing a major party, which was the PDP. So, if you are looking at the votes he got and say that he has a larger followership than His Excellency Peter Obi, I disagree,” he said.
“I keep telling people that when it comes to organic followership, I don’t think anyone beats both of them, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso,” he added.
He further argued that increased voter turnout in 2027 could work against the ruling party.
“Mass turnout of voters will not be in favour of the ruling party. Nigerians are not mad people,” Johnson said.
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