Kayode Adebiyi | 26th May 2025
It was amusing to see the gathering of strange bedfellows yesterday. I saw Rotimi Amaechi sitting in the front row — this is a man who has held one political office or another since 1999, when he emerged as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Immediately after that, he became Governor of Rivers State, serving two terms (8 years), and right after that, he served under former President Buhari as Minister of Transport for another 8 years.
Since 1999 — a span of 26 years — this is the first time Rotimi Amaechi is not occupying either an elective or appointed position in government. Yet, he’s apparently angry that President Tinubu did not deem it fit to give him a role in his administration.
Or what exactly could be his grievance? Wonders, they say, shall never end.
In times of genuine reform, when a nation is trying to set itself on a new path of growth, it is not unusual for those who benefit from the old order to push back. What is unusual — and dangerous — is when the pushback comes not only from opponents but also from disgruntled former allies, who now align with old political adversaries to destabilise the very government they once helped bring to power.
This is the reality facing Nigeria today.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, elected in 2023, has embarked on bold, necessary — though painful — reforms aimed at resetting Nigeria’s fragile economy, fixing decades of fiscal indiscipline, and restoring the country’s international standing. While these decisions are unpopular in the short term, there is broad consensus that they are essential for long-term national revival.
Yet rather than support these reforms or offer constructive criticism, a coalition of bitter politicians — led by the ever-aspiring Atiku Abubakar, joined by Nasir El-Rufai and Peter Obi — have formed what they now call a “coalition to rescue Nigeria.” But a closer look reveals it is not a coalition for the people — it is a coalition of the disappointed and the self-interested.
At the centre of this movement is Atiku Abubakar, who has contested for Nigeria’s presidency since 1992 — a staggering 30-year personal ambition that seems to have become more important than the party or the people. In the run-up to the 2023 elections, Atiku brazenly flouted the PDP’s power rotation principle, which stipulates a balance between the North and South in the presidency.
After President Buhari, a northerner, had completed two terms (eight years), all major political parties — including the APC — respected the spirit of rotation and fielded southern candidates. But Atiku, putting personal ambition above national unity, forced his way to the PDP ticket. This act of political entitlement led to a revolt within the party. Five influential governors from the South (the G5) refused to back him and instead tilted their support toward the eventual winner, President Tinubu.
Now, after his defeat, Atiku is attempting to stitch together a coalition — not to improve governance, but to avenge a political loss and restore himself to national relevance.
The hypocrisy does not end there. Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a man who passionately advocated for zoning to the South in the last election, has now aligned with Atiku — the very person who defied zoning. El-Rufai had publicly stated that for equity, justice, and unity, it was only fair for a Southerner to succeed Buhari.
Yet today, due to grievances over not receiving a ministerial appointment, El-Rufai has now joined forces with the same Atiku he once criticized, revealing that his principles were perhaps only skin-deep. His presence in this so-called coalition is not about patriotism — it is about personal payback.
Also sitting at this coalition table is Peter Obi, the candidate who came third in the 2023 presidential race. While Obi projected himself as a reformer, his campaign was marred by an overreliance on ethnic and religious sentiment.
Obi was the only presidential candidate to win all five states in his South-East home region, a clear indicator that his appeal was deeply regional and ethnic. This pattern reinforced perceptions that his candidacy — rather than offering a broad national vision — rode on the waves of tribal identity and emotional populism.
Furthermore, he often remained silent when religious and ethnic rhetoric were used in his favour, failing to condemn the dangerous narratives that threatened Nigeria’s fragile unity especially the notorius IPOB and UGM ravaging his South East home region. His presence in this coalition is not out of ideological alignment with Atiku or El-Rufai — whom he previously opposed — but simply because he also lost and sees an opening for relevance.
What unites Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi and Obi is not a shared vision or a plan to lift Nigeria forward. What unites them is bitterness, disappointment, and the craving to remain politically relevant. Their coalition is an alliance of convenience, not conviction.
Read More:
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APC to Atiku: We’re not in your coalition
History is full of examples that show the futility of such opportunistic coalitions:
In Kenya, coalitions built to unseat incumbents often collapse into chaos and infighting.
In Italy, governments formed by ideologically incompatible partners frequently end in paralysis.
In South Africa, internal ANC factions have crippled governance, turning power struggles into national crises. Nigeria cannot afford this.
Let us be clear: this is not about defending a particular party or individual. President Tinubu must be held accountable by the people and by institutions — but not by politicians who are angry because they were not invited to “come and chop.”
The public must ask:
What moral authority does Atiku have after defying zoning and dividing his party?
What happened to El-Rufai’s principle of zoning and equity?
And how can Obi claim national unity while campaigning almost exclusively on ethnic and religious sentiment?
What did Amaechi lost that he’s frantically looking for after an unbroken 26 years in the corridors of power. If he were an academic, is he not entitled to a sabbatical leave after all these years?
The answer is obvious: these men are not forming a coalition to save Nigeria. They are forming a coalition to save themselves.
Nigerians must not be deceived. Our democracy must not be hijacked by wounded political godfathers and ethnic champions masquerading as reformers. True reform takes time, sacrifice, and stability. We must reject the politics of bitterness, and support policies — not personalities — that serve the national interest.
Kayode Adebiyi is a UK based Communication Specialist.
