To Defeat Tinubu in 2027, Coalition Must Be Ready To Do The Unthinkable, It Won’t Be Business As usual — Datti Baba-Ahmed

To Defeat Tinubu in 2027, Coalition Must Be Ready To Do The Unthinkable, It Won’t Be Business As usual — Datti Baba-Ahmed

 

 

 

 

 

Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has issued a stark warning to Nigeria’s budding opposition coalition, urging them to abandon business-as-usual politics if they hope to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

 

Speaking during an interview on Trust TV, Baba-Ahmed said defeating Tinubu would require “the unthinkable” and a level of sacrifice that goes beyond party alignments and public declarations.

 

“To defeat this phenomenon called Tinubu, you must do the unthinkable,” he said. “If this coalition—which I recognise—thinks it’s business as usual, it won’t work. It has to be less about individual ambition and more about Nigeria. More action, less talk. Because talk is cheap.”

 

The Labour Party chieftain acknowledged the recent alliance between opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other interest groups, but questioned whether the coalition had the seriousness and structure needed to challenge Tinubu’s entrenched political machinery.

 

According to him, many in the opposition still underestimate the president’s political dominance and long-term strategy.

 

“Even Nigeria’s military rulers didn’t do what he’s doing,” Datti said. “From councillor to president, this man has appointed, disappointed, installed, and removed at will. He is powerful.”

 

He also pointed to Tinubu’s history of political strategy as evidence of his calculated ascent to power.

“Tinubu gave Atiku the ACN in 2007. Gave it to Ribadu in 2011. Backed Buhari in 2015. And waited until 2023 to take it himself.”

 

In his view, only a coalition that prioritizes the national interest over personal ambition stands a chance of mounting a credible challenge in 2027.

 

“How many people are willing to suppress their own ambition for the good of Nigeria? That’s the real issue,” he said.

 

While reaffirming his belief in the Labour Party and its grassroots appeal, Datti Baba-Ahmed cautioned that good intentions alone won’t win against a well-oiled political machine.

 

“You don’t come in haphazardly and say you’ll defeat someone who has been planning for decades,” he concluded.