Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde are reportedly making progress towards a political alliance aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
DAILY GAZETTE reports that representatives of the two politicians have held several meetings in recent weeks, with negotiations said to have produced significant compromises towards a possible working arrangement.
Sources familiar with the discussions disclosed that the negotiations between Atiku and Makinde were separate from the broader consultations involving opposition leaders seeking to unite under a common platform to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, has consistently criticised the Tinubu administration and supported moves by opposition figures to forge a common front ahead of the 2027 general election.
The governor had, on April 25, convened an opposition summit at the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan, where political leaders discussed the possibility of fielding a single presidential candidate against the APC.
However, the initiative has yet to produce a concrete agreement, as Atiku, Makinde and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi have continued to pursue their respective presidential ambitions.
Makinde, while confirming ongoing consultations with opposition leaders, including Atiku and Obi, said the discussions could eventually determine whether they would emerge as political rivals or collaborators in the forthcoming election.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Friday, the governor said, “Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals; we may be collaborators. One may be the client of the other.”
DAILY GAZETTE quoted political sources from both camps as expressing optimism that an agreement between Atiku and Makinde was increasingly likely.
An unnamed South-West leader of the African Democratic Congress, who was familiar with the negotiations, described the discussions as fresh, purposeful and promising, expressing confidence that both politicians would soon make their plans public.
When asked when the proposed alliance would be unveiled, the party chieftain reportedly responded jokingly, “before January 16.”
Similarly, an Allied Peoples Movement candidate familiar with Makinde’s political movement disclosed that the governor was likely to work with Atiku in the 2027 presidential contest.
According to the source, several virtual and physical meetings had taken place between representatives of both camps in recent weeks, with substantial progress reportedly recorded.
“The available information is that the Atiku and Makinde alliance is very possible, and it is taking shape. A series of meetings, both virtual and physical, have been held in the last few weeks, and they are fruitful.
“What is on the ground shows that both parties have reached compromises and they are going to unveil that very soon,” the source said.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, also acknowledged that Makinde was consulting with opposition leaders, although he stopped short of confirming a specific agreement with Atiku.
Oyelade maintained that the governor was willing to collaborate with other opposition tendencies if such an arrangement could provide a credible opportunity to address the country’s challenges and improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
He said Makinde was not opposed to working directly with other opposition leaders, provided there was a realistic prospect of ending what he described as the unprecedented suffering of the masses.
Meanwhile, the ADC has maintained that discussions among opposition parties remain ongoing, with its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, insisting that the consultations were not restricted to any particular politician or political party.
“All opposition parties are still talking. And it’s never too late,” Abdullahi reportedly said in a WhatsApp message.
Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, also confirmed that the former vice-president was engaging with opposition leaders as part of efforts to build a common political front ahead of the election.
Shaibu said the consultations were aimed at offering Nigerians an alternative to the current administration, restoring responsible leadership and addressing the country’s economic difficulties.
However, neither the ADC spokesman nor Atiku’s aide confirmed that a formal agreement had been reached between the former vice-president and the Oyo governor.
With the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, opposition leaders face the difficult task of reconciling competing interests, resolving disagreements over the presidential ticket and agreeing on a common strategy capable of challenging Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The broader opposition coalition initiative is also being driven by G-100, a political pressure group convened by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman.
The group has engaged Atiku, Obi, Makinde and other political stakeholders in its campaign for a broad-based opposition alliance, arguing that individual opposition parties may struggle to defeat the APC if they approach the election separately.
Despite these efforts, the coalition project continues to face uncertainty as prominent opposition politicians maintain their individual ambitions, leaving the question of a consensus presidential candidate unresolved.
