For Nigerian opposition parties, unity was always the surest path to winning an election against a wily incumbent such as President Bola Tinubu. As the build-up to the 2027 presidential election began, the top three runners-up in the 2023 election teamed up in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Among them were former vice president Atiku Abubakar, now 80, who has been seeking the presidency since 1992 and scored 29.07% of the votes as the candidate for the People's Democratic Party, behind Tinubu's 36.6%, in the 2023 election.
Peter Obi (pictured), the Labour Party flag bearer, won 25.4% in that contest, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the New Nigerian People's Party candidate, got 6.23% of the votes cast.
Despite knowing that backing a single candidate could have guaranteed them an easy sweep of the votes, the coalition stalled over the issue of leadership. In the face of their stubborn ambitions, the alliance quickly unravelled.
Originally published by African Business.