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Former senator Shehu Sani has warned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is poised for a landslide re-election in 2027 unless Nigeria’s fractured opposition forms a united front.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, May 8, Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 9th Senate, expressed concern over ongoing defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the persistent disunity among opposition parties.
“There is no way you can evict a ruling party without a coalition.
"Only through unity can opposition parties set aside narrow interests for the greater good of democracy,” he said.
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Sani criticised the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for distancing themselves from coalition efforts.
“If they head into the election disjointed, APC will likely win by a landslide,” he warned.
He blamed the opposition's disarray for Tinubu’s 2023 electoral success and cautioned that history could repeat itself.
According to Sani, Nigeria’s political parties lack strong ideological foundations, making cross-party defections common.
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“Parties are just platforms to pursue personal ambitions. Their manifestos are almost identical,” he noted.
Sani emphasised that preserving the integrity of opposition parties is not Tinubu’s responsibility.
“It is not Asiwaju’s job to keep opposition parties intact. They must do the hard work of resolving internal issues and retaining their members,” he said
He predicted more defections to the APC, particularly from the PDP, citing leadership crises and factional disputes.
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“You can’t function in a party with two national secretaries or factions fighting over primaries,” Sani said.
He concluded with a stark warning: “Unless the opposition gets its act together, Nigeria may drift into a de facto one-party state—not by law, but by default.”