By Our Correspondent
National News
Fresh controversy has emerged over the political role of former President Olusegun Obasanjo ahead of the 2027 general election, following conflicting claims about his involvement in the opposition coalition.
The disagreement comes as opposition parties intensify consultations and alliance-building efforts aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has accused Obasanjo of secretly working to secure Tinubu’s re-election despite his perceived support for the opposition.
In a statement signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, on Sunday, the group alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were designed to weaken opposition parties rather than strengthen them.
The forum cited Obasanjo’s recent public letter to former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, in which the former president accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of backing efforts by the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, to impeach him during his presidency.
According to the group, the letter was part of a broader strategy to destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The forum also criticised Obasanjo for mentioning the late Na’Abba, arguing that the former Speaker could no longer defend himself against the allegations.
It further alleged that Obasanjo’s support for the presidential aspirations of Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was merely a political cover to conceal his alleged backing of Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The group also claimed, without presenting evidence, that Obasanjo had worked to ensure Obi emerged as the opposition coalition’s candidate and later facilitated the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance after disagreements within the coalition.
However, Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr Akin Osuntokun, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the former president is one of the principal architects of the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television, Osuntokun said Obasanjo personally brokered the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso and continues to support their joint presidential bid.
“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun said.
He described claims that Obasanjo was secretly backing Tinubu as baseless, insisting that the former president played a direct role in bringing both opposition figures together.
According to Osuntokun, discussions on a possible Obi-Kwankwaso alliance had begun years earlier and eventually materialised through Obasanjo’s intervention.
The latest dispute follows renewed tensions between Obasanjo and Atiku after the former president recently alleged that the former vice president supported attempts to remove him from office while he was president.
Atiku, through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the allegation, maintaining that his opposition to Obasanjo’s failed third-term agenda remains one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.
With political activities gathering momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, speculation continues over Obasanjo’s preferred political direction as opposition leaders seek to build a united front against the APC.
