By Our Correspondent
National News – Political consultations ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections intensified on Sunday as Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed held strategic meetings with key opposition figures including former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Senator Seriake Dickson, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The meetings took place first in Bauchi State and later in Kano State, amid growing divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and stalled reconciliation efforts between the governors’ camp and the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The closed-door meeting in Bauchi on Sunday involved Makinde, Mohammed—who also chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum—and Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West in the Senate.
Shortly after, Makinde and Dickson travelled to Kano where they joined Kwankwaso and Obi at the 10th annual Dandalin Kwankwasiyya held at Kwankwaso’s residence on Miller Road.
Although organisers described the gathering as part of Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, sources close to the NNPP leader revealed that the meeting also involved high-level political consultations and possible alliance discussions ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
According to insiders, the presence of several opposition leaders suggested talks about potential political realignments as election timelines gradually approach.
The consultations come as the PDP remains divided following months of internal crisis. The party currently operates under two rival factions—one backed by PDP governors and another loyal to Wike.
The conflict escalated after a controversial convention held in Ibadan in November 2025 produced a National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
However, in March 2026, the Court of Appeal nullified the convention, ruling that the process violated the Electoral Act, the Nigerian Constitution, and the PDP Constitution.
The judgment effectively recognised a 13-member National Caretaker Working Committee established by Wike’s camp.
Makinde insisted that cooperating with Wike’s faction would amount to indirectly supporting President Bola Tinubu in 2027, claiming Wike had pledged to deliver the PDP structure to the president.
Meanwhile, the caretaker committee’s spokesperson, Jungudo Mohammed, confirmed that the party’s national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30, 2026, would proceed despite legal disputes.
The Turaki-aligned faction, through spokesman Ini Ememobong, denied plotting to stop the convention and maintained that reconciliation efforts within the party were still ongoing.
Political analysts believe the meetings in Bauchi and Kano signal early coalition building among opposition leaders, which could shape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
