Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, achieving free and fair elections in 2027 appears highly improbable, given his dictatorial tendencies, desperation for re-election, and disregard for democratic norms.
Tinubu, like many power-hungry politicians, understands that a truly fair election could spell his political demise. Therefore, he will likely use every tool at his disposal, state institutions, security forces, electoral manipulation, judicial compromise, and financial inducements, to retain power at all costs.
Now that it is obvious that Tinubu is fracturing the opposition parties, the political actors in opposition must begin to explore any identifiable, reliable political party platforms that remain untainted by Tinubu’s infiltration.
They must advance their collective cause, coalesce energies, synergies, efforts, forces, and resources, and set the agenda for a national movement with uncompromised direction and purpose.
What Can the Opposition Do?
Build a United and Formidable Opposition Coalition:The PDP must unify all internal factions and ensure every leader and stakeholder is on the same page.
Form alliances with Labour Party (LP), NNPP, SDP, ADC, and other opposition forces to present a single, strong candidate like Atiku and Obi as his Vice.
A divided opposition benefits Tinubu.
Create a national movement that transcends party lines, uniting all forces genuinely committed to democratic restoration.
Mobilise Mass Civic Resistance Against Electoral Fraud: Engage in massive voter sensitisation to educate citizens on their rights and the importance of defending their votes.
Encourage civil disobedience and mass protests if election rigging is detected. Nigerians must be prepared to resist another electoral robbery.
Use religious leaders, traditional rulers, and youth organisations to rally against election malpractice.
Counter State-Controlled INEC and Security Forces: Expose and challenge every suspicious activity of INEC in court before the election.
Push for electoral reforms by leveraging civil society organisations, international bodies, and legal actions.
Mobilize opposition-controlled state governments (like PDP states) to provide countermeasures against Tinubu’s federal control of security forces.
Deploy Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) and Technology: Establish an independent opposition-led election monitoring system to track votes in real-time.
Set up a shadow collation center where results are recorded before they are manipulated at INEC headquarters.
Encourage citizens to use mobile phones to record, transmit, and expose any electoral fraud in real time.
Engage International Pressure and Sanctions: Seek the intervention of the UN, EU, ECOWAS, and US State Department to monitor and expose electoral misconduct.
Lobby for sanctions against key officials in INEC, judiciary, and security agencies involved in election rigging.
Leverage international media (CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera) to expose election irregularities to the world.
Strengthen Legal and Judicial Strategies: Opposition lawyers must be proactive, not reactive, filing cases before and after the elections to prevent manipulation.
Work with retired judges and senior advocates who are independent and have a history of standing for justice.
Demand live broadcast of tribunal hearings to prevent judicial compromise behind closed doors.
Counter Tinubu’s Financial and Media Influence:Opposition parties must aggressively counter Tinubu’s propaganda machinery, using social media, grassroots mobilisation, and town hall meetings.
Invest in alternative media outlets and influencers who can expose government lies and manipulation.
Use whistleblowers to expose corruption, vote-buying, and security compromises.
Push for Internal PDP Reforms and a Winning Strategy: The PDP must field a strong, acceptable candidate like Atiku and allow Peter Obi as his Vice early enough and avoid internal sabotage.
Adopt aggressive grassroots mobilisation, particularly in Northern Nigeria and other strategic zones.
Address the credibility gap by presenting a candidate with integrity, competence, and mass appeal like Atiku and Obi as his Vice.
In case the leadership of the opposition parties becomes heavily compromised and resists coalition,working for Tinubu in disguise, all patriotic political actors must rally around an available political platform not compromised by Tinubu’s influence.
From there, they must set the agenda to coalesce energies, synergies, efforts, and resources, forging a new unified force against tyranny.
Tinubu will never allow a free and fair election unless forced to do so.
The opposition must refuse to be passive and fight back with strategy, unity, mass resistance, legal action, and international pressure.
Nigeria cannot afford another stolen election! If the opposition remains weak, disorganised, or complacent, history will repeat itself, and Nigerians will endure another four years of oppression, economic hardship, and democratic decay.
The battle for 2027 starts NOW.
