2027: Opposition rivalry hurting national unity, Lamido says

Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has warned that the political rivalry among presidential hopefuls ahead of the 2027 election is worsening national divisions, saying Nigerians stand to lose regardless of who emerges victorious.

Lamido, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the growing personal attacks among opposition leaders had displaced discussions about national development, unity and the welfare of citizens.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, the former governor criticised the failure of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to unite against President Bola Tinubu.

He argued that their decision to pursue separate presidential ambitions had weakened the opposition and given the incumbent an advantage.

“Because of the number of governors, both serving and former governors of the APC, and because Atiku and Obi divided their own force, it gives Tinubu the advantage,” Lamido said.

He suggested that the opposition leaders could have reached an agreement under which Atiku would contest for president and Obi serve as his running mate, with a possible transition arrangement after four years.

“So both Peter Obi and Atiku are simply handing Tinubu, very easily. But if they come together, it would have been a high-level canvas, you know, Atiku for president and Obi running mate,” he said.

However, Lamido said his concerns went beyond the opposition's electoral strategy, arguing that the political contest was damaging the country's social cohesion.

“I’ve been saying, look, whoever wins, Nigeria will lose. That’s my problem,” he said.

He added that the ambitions of the major political figures had become more prominent than the national interest, with disagreements increasingly turning personal.

“Whoever, whether Peter Obi, Atiku, whoever wins, in terms of our unity, our economy, our love as a country of brothers and sisters, it’s all gone down,” he said.

The former governor also expressed concern about what he described as the growing use of propaganda, hate campaigns and incitement, particularly in northern Nigeria.

He said political campaigns had abandoned issues such as national unity, empathy and concrete proposals for addressing the country's challenges.

“We’ve abandoned the traditional campaign on issues, about love, about empathy, about unity, about Nigeria, and then what can you offer?” Lamido said.

Atiku and Obi had previously been part of efforts to build a common opposition platform ahead of the 2027 election. Opposition leaders adopted the African Democratic Congress as their platform in July 2025, but disagreements over the party's leadership and presidential ambitions weakened the arrangement.

Obi later left the ADC alongside former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso for the Nigeria Democratic Congress in May 2026 and was adopted as its presidential candidate.

Atiku remained in the ADC and won its presidential primary.

Obi has maintained that any possible alliance with Atiku must be based on a formal agreement between their parties rather than a personal arrangement.

Tinubu is seeking a second term under the All Progressives Congress, while other contenders include Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress.

In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku, who polled 6,984,520 votes, while Obi finished third with 6,101,533 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls are slated for February 6.