Olusola Sanni, a media aide to a former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the safest bet for the opposition to defeat President Bola Tinubu is to present his boss as the common opposition candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The senior media aide to Abubakar levelled this argument in an article he made available to The Eagle Online over the weekend.
The article, which called on all opposition parties to support the candidature of the former vice president, stated that he is the only candidate who possesses the national structure, resilience, and experience to defeat the All Progressives Congress administration led by President Tinubu.
According to Sanni: “As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar remains the strongest and most credible opposition candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu.”
The seasoned journalist noted that the political landscape has shifted significantly since the 2023 election.
He added: “The protest-driven momentum that characterised the last cycle has waned, giving way to a more conventional electoral environment where structure, experience, resilience, national reach, and coalition-building capacity will be decisive.”
Sanni remarked further that Abubakar was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2023 presidential election.
He wrote: “Despite facing internal sabotage from the G5 governors, ethnic profiling, and a fragmented opposition, Atiku secured nearly seven million votes and emerged as the leading opposition candidate.
“That performance demonstrated deep political resilience, institutional strength, and national organisational capability.”
Sanni emphasised that the 2027 elections will be fundamentally different: Less about emotion and symbolism, and more about competence, solutions to economic hardship, insecurity, and unemployment.
He added: “The protest energy of 2023 has dissipated.
“Nigerians are now confronting harsher realities, and what they need is proven experience and the ability to build a broad-based national coalition.
“Atiku possesses these qualities in abundance.”
The article highlighted Abubakar’s strategic role in consolidating opposition forces around the African Democratic Congress (ADC), his unique position as a bridge-builder with relationships across regions, credibility across interests, and the maturity to manage competing ambitions.
He wrote: “Leadership is not a beauty contest.
“It is about preparedness, endurance, judgment, and reach.
“Atiku has the national network, the campaign infrastructure, the institutional memory, and the discipline forged through repeated contests.
“He is best placed to mount the strongest possible challenge to the incumbent.”
Sanni urged the opposition to prioritise victory over symbolism, calling on the ADC to rally behind Abubakar as its most formidable asset.
He said: “Nigeria deserves a serious opposition and democracy deserves a real contest.
“Atiku Abubakar remains that candidate.”
The Eagle Online is reporting that the presidential primaries of the ADC commenced on Monday, May 26, 2026.
The results are already trickling in, with Abubakar declared winner in some northern states that the results had come in.
