The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has distanced itself from a recently announced opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Rising from a meeting held on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State, the Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, made it clear that the PDP would not be aligning with any political alliance ahead of the 2027 polls.
“The PDP is focused on rebuilding from within and strengthening its structures across the country. We are not part of any coalition talks,” the Forum stated.
This comes in the wake of a recent announcement by former PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who revealed plans for a broad coalition of opposition figures. The alliance is reported to include former Labour Party flagbearer Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, among others.
Atiku had emphasized that the coalition’s goal was to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. El-Rufai, who recently defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), cited the ruling party’s alleged erosion of internal democracy under Tinubu’s leadership.
Amid these political shifts, the PDP Governors’ Forum also weighed in on the party’s ongoing internal leadership crisis by endorsing Deputy National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary. The move is expected to calm tensions surrounding the party’s leadership structure.
Meanwhile, SDP chieftain and former presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo confirmed that talks were ongoing between the SDP, Atiku, Obi, and other political figures. He noted that if they embraced the party’s ideals, they could form a formidable front to defeat Tinubu and retire the APC.
Adding to the intrigue, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) chieftain Buba Galadima alleged that El-Rufai was acting as a placeholder for Atiku within the SDP, in the event the PDP denies Atiku its 2027 presidential ticket.
As the race toward 2027 begins to take shape, the PDP appears to be charting an independent course while political realignments continue to ripple across the nation’s opposition landscape.
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