Fresh controversy has erupted over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political role ahead of the 2027 general election, with the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum accusing him of secretly working to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr Akin Osuntokun, however, insisted the ex-President is the architect of the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential alliance on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The conflicting positions come amid growing political realignments and intensified coalition-building by opposition parties seeking to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next presidential election.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were carefully designed to weaken the opposition rather than strengthen it.
The group pointed to Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor, Segun Osoba, in which the former president alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in an attempt to impeach him during his administration.
According to the forum, the letter was not merely a personal attack on Atiku but part of a broader strategy to destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.
“What many perceive as an attack on Atiku is, in reality, a deliberate assault on the opposition parties in Nigeria,” Malaolu said.
The group also criticised Obasanjo for invoking the name of the late Na’Abba, arguing that the former Speaker could no longer defend himself against the allegation.
“By dragging the name of Ghali Umar Na’Abba into his allegation, Obasanjo knows too well that the late Speaker is incapable of a right of reply.
“To respond to Obasanjo, he has to be resurrected from the dead, which the former President knows is impossible,” the statement further read.
The forum further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for the presidential aspirations of Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was merely a political smokescreen intended to conceal his alleged support for President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
“By this letter, Obasanjo has only confirmed speculations that he is working for his kinsman, President Bola Tinubu, to actualise his second-term ambition,” Malaolu stated.
The group claimed that before the opposition coalition settled on its political platform, consultations were held with several national leaders, including Obasanjo, but alleged that the former President was determined to ensure Obi emerged as the coalition’s presidential candidate.
It further alleged that when those efforts failed, Obasanjo facilitated political realignments that ultimately resulted in Obi and Kwankwaso contesting on the NDC platform.
The forum also alleged, without providing evidence, that Obasanjo was collaborating with a member of Tinubu’s family to build political structures that would aid the President’s re-election.
Osuntokun, however, dismissed the allegations as unfounded, insisting that Obasanjo remains one of the principal forces behind the opposition alliance.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, the former presidential adviser said Obasanjo personally brokered the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso and continues to support their joint presidential ticket.
“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 declared.
Rejecting claims that the former president was secretly backing Tinubu, he described the allegation as illogical.
“How do you then suggest that he is secretly working for Tinubu? It does not make sense to me.
“I think that claim is absolute bunkum. The evidence is in the public domain. Obasanjo is playing a major role in supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. He was the one who brought the two men together,” he said.
When pressed on whether Obasanjo directly negotiated the alliance, Osuntokun maintained that there was no ambiguity about the former president’s role.
“Yes, of course. That’s what I said. He brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso. Both of them are quite close to him. It is a ticket that makes sense and has the potential to make a significant impact in the 2027 election.
“I can tell you for free that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” he added.
Osuntokun also disclosed that discussions on a possible Obi-Kwankwaso partnership predated the current political arrangement.
“Kwankwaso could have teamed up with Obi four years ago. I remember him saying that if they had agreed then, they would probably have had an arrangement in which they would each spend one term in office, and Kwankwaso would now have been the beneficiary,” he added.
The latest disagreement over Obasanjo’s political positioning comes only days after the former president reignited his long-running feud with Atiku by alleging in a public letter that the former vice president supported attempts to remove him from office while he served as president.
Atiku, through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the allegation, insisting that his opposition to Obasanjo’s failed third-term bid remains one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.
As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, major opposition figures have intensified consultations and alliance-building efforts aimed at presenting a formidable challenge to the APC.
Obasanjo, who has maintained close relationships with several leading opposition politicians, has increasingly become the subject of speculation over his preferred political direction, with Sunday’s conflicting claims further highlighting the intense political manoeuvring already shaping the race for Nigeria’s highest office.
(Punch)
