SUNDAY EDITORIAL- 22/06/2025
COALITION AHEAD OF 2027 : TINUBU IS NO HEAVYWEIGHT IF OPPOSITION PARTIES PRESSURE THE INEC BOSS TO BE REMOVED AND ENSURE JUDICIARY IS INDEPENDENT. SHOULDN’T COALITION GROUPS JUST LEAVE TINUBU ALONE AND FACE INEC AND JUDICIARY SQUARELY?
“History is moving, and it will tend toward hope, or tend toward tragedy – George W. Bush ”
The unembellished truth is, if the presidential election were to be conducted in few weeks time, only Tinubu would be enthusiastic about the electoral proceedings to be adopted – at least if the electoral anomaly and the traitorous schemes mendaciously carried out by the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, in 2023 are allowed to repeat themselves. Unless Tinubu’s supporters and loyalists want to pretend as if their retinas and optic nerves had been blighted with retinitis pigmentosa, it is expected of every Nigerian to know that the 2023 presidential election was nothing but a shamble encapsulated in a concatenation of electoral discrepancies and judicial malfeasance – all thanks to Mahmood Yakubu.
After the election, even though other presidential candidates began to lament excruciatingly like a mother whose only child had just been crushed to death by a caravan, Tinubu and other APC gladiators wouldn’t care about the flawed process that was orchestrated by Yakubu – a treacherous stratagem which ensured only the process of the presidential election was altered while other elections conducted simultaneously were allowed to romp through using the earlier-scheduled mechanism (BVAS). Judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court judges, would later ensure those abnormalities were upheld, and ignominiously. Today, Yakubu is wining and dining with the crème-de-la-crème in Aso rock. Barring an improbable eventuality, he would assuredly oversee another presidential election in 2027.
As a democrat, while I’m not particularly interested if Tinubu won or the duo of Obi and Atiku lost, I’m overly concerned about the electoral process which was irrefutably marred by opacity, prevarication, and irresponsibility. Yakubu’s barbarous decision to change the goal post whilst the presidential election was ongoing by reverting to the old-fashioned manual methodology instead of BVAS, has since gone to mark the beginning of the end of democracy in Nigeria.
Today, an average Nigerian believes his/her vote doesn’t count. Without sounding pessimistic, only Tinubu’s supporters would be glad to go to the polls to vote in 2027. Why is that?. Ordinarily, as normal humans, they should anticipate that Yakubu would definitely perform the same mystery for their principal in Aso rock once again, and indisputably. The rate at which Tinubu’s supporters have been displaying confidence on social media ahead of 2027 presidential election is terrifically alarming. One can only begin to evaluate what keeps gingering their conviction. One thing is undoubtedly honest-to-goodness. Their confidence isn’t engraved in Tinubu’s performances so far because they know over 80 percent of voters would gladly vote against him in 2027. Their confidence must have been propelled by a celestial fascination – possibly another Yakubu’s ingenious masterpiece.
Personally, I wouldn’t advise any opposition presidential candidate in 2027 to sign any “peace accord” before the election as long as Yakubu remains the INEC chairman. While Tinubu wouldn’t think twice before signing the peace accord because he has no reason to be suspicious or sceptical of Yakubu’s loyalty, it would be an affront on democracy if other contestants go ahead and sign what I’ll term ” a political handcuff “. A peace accord is a treaty that should only be signed if all contestants are guaranteed of having the same likelihood of winning, and also accorded the same level-playing ground on the field. Sadly, INEC under Yakubu, continue to blatantly disenfranchise opposition parties while amalgamating with the ruling party to subvert the will of the electorates.
INEC lead by Yakubu has done it before in 2023 presidential election. It did it again in Kogi, Imo and Ondo gubernatorial elections. It is almost a habitual eccentricity for the same gimmick to be repeated under the same controversial umpire in 2027. Just as Gregor Mendels postulated in his First Law of Heredity which states and I quote : ” genes are responsible for the development of an individual, and they are transmitted independently from one generation to another without undergoing any form of change” , Yakubu’s treachery, mischief, and devilry are meant to enchant INEC forever, and without undergoing any form of change.
Akinropo
For opposition parties to have a shot at the holy grail in 2027, Yakubu must be pressured to abdicate his position as the INEC boss either by presidential order or by stepping down voluntarily. While the later alternative seems more realistic because Tinubu wouldn’t want to risk firing his trusted lieutenant, Yakubu should voluntarily resign for the sake of national interest. Over 90 of percent Nigerians don’t want him on that seat come 2027. If stepping down is what wouldn’t plunge Nigeria into anarchy before and after 2027 general elections, then he should do so, and honorably.
Surprisingly, in the last few weeks, opposition parties have been busy strategizing on how to send Tinubu to a political oblivion in 2027 without taking into cognisance the major hindrances. Realistically, is Tinubu the main obstacle here?. Is Tinubu the one to oversee the electoral proceedings, and possibly rig the election?. Instead of ensuring the tap roots (INEC and judiciary) upon which Tinubu’s political fortress are erected and solidified, are uprooted, they’ve been busy and occupied revolting against a man (Tinubu) who merely got 37 percent of the total votes casted in 2023.
Common sense should have told the opposition parties that, of the 37 percent who voted for Tinubu in 2023, less than 25 percent would vote for him in 2027. If he wasn’t tested yet in 2023 presidential election and Nigerians were sceptical of him and he merely got 37 percent, how many percent would he get in 2027 after his supporters who gave him chances to prove himself had seen how catastrophic his performances are? . Both Atiku and Obi had a combined total of 63 percent in 2023 despite Yakubu’s shenanigans. I’m certain those 63 percent are still intact, and if anything, the figure is almost guaranteed to increase in 2027 because Tinubu hasn’t done anything spectacular to prove them (63 percent) wrong or probably make them regret not voting for him in 2023. Tinubu’s anti-people and anti-democratic schemes will almost certainly ensure he wouldn’t have his 37 percent loyalists/voters intact come 2027 ; they can only reduce, and drastically. They’ve seen it all. Despite voting for him in 2023, I’m sure none of the 37 percent have had a direct access to Tinubu to beg for food when a cup of rice was increased from N1200 to N3400. I wouldn’t be talking fallacy or exhibiting prejudice if I also say none of the 37 percent had received free fuel from filling stations to fuel their vehicles after a litre of fuel was increased from N195 to almost N900. Majority of the 37 percent have parked their vehicles at home for over two years, and probably have been improvising using commercial vehicles to transport themselves to work. As humans with advanced and compartmentalized brains, they shouldn’t be told how and who to vote for in 2027.
From all indications, opposition parties still don’t know the adversaries they must engage in a relentless battle. If they are going for a coalition, taking into cognisance that their 63 percent voters in 2023 are still intact, shouldn’t advocating for a free and fair election be their priority instead of launching scathing attacks at Tinubu?. Take Peter Obi for example. I would have expected him to be firing INEC and judiciary from all cylinders, and on daily basis – like he does with Tinubu on daily basis. Himself, Atiku, El Rufai, Aregbesola, Amaechi, etc, are expected to know (going by their political experiences) by now, that, no miracle can make Tinubu win in 2027 if the presidential election is free and fair. It’s not a matter of exaggeration ; it’s a fact which could be proven beyond all reasonable doubt owing to the present reality Nigerians are enduring in all ramifications. It’s high time they knew that the umpire in 2023 would still shortchange them in 2027 if they allow him to remain in office. A Leopard doesn’t change its skin.
” Adversity is the mother of progress – Mahatma Gandi“. Since APC took over from Jonathan in 2015, Nigerians have been persecuted, tormented, and continue to be suffocated in a manner never experienced or seen before in the chronological annals of the country. Before 2015 presidential election, APC promised turning Nigeria to a terrestrial utopia. Nigerians believed them and voted against Goodluck Jonathan. Unfortunately, even after 10 years of being at the helm of affairs, a plethora of phantasmagoria of agonies are continually unleashed on Nigerians, and incessantly. Despite their adversity, it seems there’s a glimpse of hope in 2027. But, shouldn’t the valorous emancipators ready to liberate Nigerians face the real cankerworms (INEC and Judiciary) capable of subverting the will of the electorates in 2027 instead of mobilizing and attacking the incumbent (Tinubu ) whose chances of winning have already been depleted right from inside his own abode?.
(Akinropo Olufemi writes from Ibadan. He’s a writer and poet)