2027: Obasanjo’s ‘Obi-Kwakwanso Game Plan’ Trigger Controversy as Group Accuses Him of Secretly Backing Tinubu

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.

The allegation, however, has been strongly dismissed by Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr. Akin Osuntokun, who insists the former president is the chief architect of the Peter Obi–Rabiu Kwankwasopresidential alliance on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The conflicting claims come as opposition parties intensify coalition talks aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 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 cited Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, in which the former president accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of mobilising the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in an attempt to impeach him while he was in office.

According to the forum, the letter was not merely a personal attack on Atiku but part of a broader strategy to destabilise opposition forces ahead of the 2027 elections.

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“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 mentioning the late Na’Abba, arguing that the former Speaker could no longer defend himself against the allegations.

“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 added.

The forum further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket was merely a political smokescreen designed to conceal his alleged backing for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

It also claimed, without providing evidence, that Obasanjo was working with a member of Tinubu’s family to build political structures that would strengthen the President’s re-election campaign.

Responding to the allegations, Osuntokun dismissed them as baseless, insisting that Obasanjo remains one of the driving forces behind the opposition coalition.

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Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television, Osuntokun 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,” he said.

He described claims that Obasanjo was secretly backing Tinubu as “absolute bunkum,” maintaining that the evidence of the former president’s support for the opposition alliance is already in the public domain.

Osuntokun further stated that Obasanjo directly facilitated discussions that brought Obi and Kwankwaso together, adding that both politicians enjoy a close relationship with the former president.

According to him, conversations about a possible Obi-Kwankwaso partnership had begun years earlier and could have materialised before the 2023 election.

The latest disagreement over Obasanjo’s political alignment comes only days after he reignited his long-running feud with Atiku by alleging in a public letter that the former vice president backed attempts to impeach him while he was president.

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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.

With political consultations and coalition-building gathering momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, Obasanjo has once again found himself at the centre of speculation over his preferred political direction, highlighting the growing intrigue and manoeuvring already shaping the race for Nigeria’s highest office.