By Hopejane Uzor
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would lose the 2027 presidential election if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar runs on a joint ticket with a southern politician such as Peter Obi or Rotimi Amaechi.
Momodu made the assertion while speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, noting that a North–South coalition ticket led by Atiku could significantly weaken the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the next general election.
According to him, such an alliance would pose a major challenge to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“I believe if we have a combination of Atiku, maybe with Peter Obi, maybe with Rotimi Amaechi, or any other person from the South, Tinubu will be gone.
It will be the end of Tinubu’s foundation, not the APC,” he said.
Momodu also defended Atiku’s continued participation in presidential contests despite several unsuccessful attempts, arguing that the former vice president’s persistence in politics could eventually yield results.
He added that Atiku’s political prospects appear to be improving as more opposition figures begin to rally around him.
“From my analysis, Atiku Abubakar — even those who didn’t like Atiku before — now he’s smelling like roses because the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
He has prepared forever,” Momodu said.
The media entrepreneur further criticised what he described as President Tinubu’s preference for a weakened opposition, warning that the growing wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC could undermine Nigeria’s democratic system.
“Tinubu wants to contest against himself, and it doesn’t make sense to me,” he said, describing the weakening of the PDP as “a sad day for democracy.”
Meanwhile, Atiku, Obi and Amaechi — who contested the 2023 presidential election on different party platforms — have recently aligned within the ADC to form a broader opposition coalition.
Other prominent figures linked to the emerging alliance include former Senate President David Mark, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, all seen as key players in the evolving political coalition ahead of the 2027 polls. The ADC has scheduled its national convention for April 14, 2026, following ward and state congresses expected to commence on April 7.
