Fayose: Coalition against Tinubu a waste of time — I’ll work against Atiku if he runs again

Ayo Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti, says any coalition intended to stop President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 will fail.

Fayose, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), spoke on Friday when he featured on Politics Today, a programme on Channels TV.

Talks on a coalition to wrest federal control from the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been intensifying ahead of the next election.

Opposition politicians have also been holding a series of “strategic meetings” in what appears to be a concerted effort to actualise the plan.

One of the leading advocates for the coalition is Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s standard-bearer in the 2023 poll.

Abubakar has consistently pushed for a coalition among opposition parties in a bid to unseat Tinubu.

Early this week, governors elected on the PDP platform ruled out the possibility of a merger or coalition with any other political party.

‘COALITION AGAINST TINUBU A WASTE OF TIME’

Fayose said the decision of the PDP governors indicates that Abubakar has no backing for his coalition talks.

“Their coalition is a dead horse ab initio. Tell me one positive person or well-respected Nigerian that has given his voice in support of this coalition,” Fayose said.

“The (PDP) governors’ actions and statement in Ibadan is to tell Atiku: we are not with you, we are going nowhere, we have our own identity.

“So, that coalition is just in the imagination of people trying to bring it to fruition. Let me say to you, it is a waste of time.”

Fayose claimed that governors in opposition parties prefer Tinubu to Abubakar.

He said the PDP needs to resolve its internal crisis before entering a coalition.

“I publicly worked against Atiku, and I am saying for the second time, if Atiku comes again (to contest), I will work against him. It is time to learn our lesson,” Fayose said.

“After eight years of a northerner, it is the turn of a southerner, which could involve someone from the east, south-west or south-south.”

Fayose blamed the crisis in the PDP on the alleged breach of the party’s zoning arrangement.

“Those who gave or zoned power back to the north caused all these problems,” he said.

Fayose added that party members ought to respect unwritten agreements on zoning.