Johnson Ayantunji
The coalition being built around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is decidedly against his opponent in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor Nasir El Rufai, to some extent, the Sunday Telegraph can report.
This is evident in the defection last week of Governor Sheriff Oborovweri of Delta State, his deputy, the entire members of the State House of Assembly, his commissioners, and Special Assistants.
Others were: A former six–term lawmaker Senator James Manager; immediate past governor and former running mate to Atiku Abubakar, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and thousands of their supporters.
Those, who are privy to the game plan around Bola Tinubu Political Machinery, said they would not give the opposition breathing space that would allow them to run so that by the time their coalition comes, APC has a bigger and better Coalition. This, they called, ‘the Coalition against the Coalition.’
“What is going on is not just a defection,” said one of the Sources, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to do so, “but the APC building its coalition to confront the coalition that even failed before it started.”
Some of the key leaders of the Coalition around the President include the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State; National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Ganduje, who is cooking the Coalition; the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, one of the drivers; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is working with them, and all the ministers from the North currently serving in the Tinubu administration.
“They are also part of the coalition,” the source added.
Sunday Telegraph gathered that they have been given a brief: ‘Don’t let the North slip from Mr. President.’ They are doing everything to ensure that it is also sure. The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale, is the rallying point for the North for all the others.
“But they are not doing it for free,” said another Source privy to the plot. Some of the Northerners, who are with the president, believe that they should allow him to spend another term, so that at the end of the eight years, it can revert to the North. As it is, it is Coalition versus Coalition, and let us see who builds a bigger and better coalition.”
Besides, it was gathered that the Tinubu Coalition is reaching out to more people, who are in two categories. Some were asked to stay their parties to continue to work for the president.
“Some completely come over to us. Some governors, who are in PDP may not be averse to him having a second term.”
Another Source said: “It is obvious that the presidency is not taking things lightly. Despite the attempt to downplay the emerging coalition, the presidency has shown that when it comes to politicking, it is still very ardent. That is why in the last few days, you could see a lot of movement. We hear that Kano is also on the queue. So also is the man in Osun, who will also join the queue.”
The presidency and the Tinubu administration are also building their coalition. What somebody said in the presidency is: “It is a Coalition against coalition. You know who is going to build a better coalition?
“What they are doing is to get ahead of the Atiku coalition builders, so that before you get to some of your targets, some of the people that have been penciled down by the Atiku coalition are the ones the president and his handlers are going after. Before you get there, we are there. That is what the Bola Ahmed Tinubu political machinery is doing. They call it the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Political Machinery.
“What they are doing is that before Atiku gets to where they want to go, the President’s men will get there ahead of them.”
At the beginning, Delta was one of the prime supporters of Atiku. The former governor (Okowa) was Atiku’s running mate. Now, he has been sucked into the APC. Now, the governor of the state is in, James Manager is in, and some of them were key political allies of Atiku. What the presidency and Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Political Machinery is doing is to ensure it goes after the known allies of Atiku, to decimate his political machinery ahead of the 2027 elections.
The source added: “Before you know it, all the political heavy weights are now with Tinubu. In deed, some new movements, new people, who would come in will shock Nigerians. That is what somebody in the presidency posted on his social media handle.
“Apart from this, they are also building a pan-Nigerian Coalition to fight the emerging Coalition of Atiku Abubakar.
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his people are also building their coalition in readiness for whatever coalition comes from Atiku and El-Rufai. You know that even in El–Rufai’s state, all of them are in with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is Coalition versus coalition. One of the governors in Akwa Ibom was saying that he is still in PDP, but he would support Tinubu. He is also on the card to come over to the APC.
“What the Bola Tinubu Political machinery is doing is to completely make it difficult for anyone to withstand his own Coalition.”
As part of the ongoing game, meanwhile, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the newspaper gathered, will get a soft landing and also align with the vision of President Tinubu and they have also told Wike to pipe low. With the ongoing political configuration, they cannot afford to lose Rivers or cause any trouble in Rivers. Rivers is part of the Coalition in the South South that is being built around the president.
“The only man that they are not sure of is the man in Bayelsa. They are also reaching out to him. Edo is in, Delta is already in, Rivers is in, and Cross River is in. The only man they are not sure of is the man in Bayelsa, and they believe it is a matter of time.”
For the suspended Governor, part of the deal the Source continued, is that he would support the president, not directly coming to the APC, but to be neutral and continue to show solidarity with the president and any plan that would bring an end to hostility between him and his former principal as it were.
“More importantly, there would be peace brokers between him and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike. There should be a way to now rehabilitate the people who have become the casualty of the war between both men and as things are now, the House of Assembly would also have to cooperate more with the governor.
