Who Wants to ‘Kill’ Tinubu?

Nigeria’s political landscape has already opened up its mouth in an attempt to have the head of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Opposition parties did not wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare campaigns open for the much-anticipated 2027 general elections before they began swinging their swords to have the head of the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, has been vocal about his grievances against Tinubu. El-Rufai’s aspirations were reportedly dashed when he was not appointed as a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet, which he attributed to a personal vendetta by the president. However, the Presidency countered that El-Rufai failed the security test during the Senate screening.

Undeterred, El-Rufai defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and called on his friends in the APC and other parties to join him in his bid to unseat Tinubu in 2027. The SDP membership has been vocal about the possible hijack of the party structure by El-Rufai. El-Rufai is poised at making himself a formidable opposition to unseating Nigeria’s incumbent President in the 2027 general elections.

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President, has also been active in his opposition to Tinubu. Atiku has been making the rounds, visiting perceived enemies of the president, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo. These moves are seen as attempts to forge alliances that could potentially unseat Tinubu in 2027.

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, and his supporters, known as the Obidients, have been vocal in their criticism of Tinubu’s administration. Their outbursts and unmistakable animosity towards the president suggest that they are determined to unseat him in 2027.

Aisha Yesufu and Omoyele Sowore, prominent civil groups and activists, have been fierce and vocal critics of the President. Aisha Yesufu has been particularly outspoken, while Omoyele Sowore has refused to see anything good in the Bola Tinubu-led Nigeria, consistently criticizing the administration. Interestingly, Aisha Yesufu has even subtly criticized Sowore in the past, showcasing the complex dynamics within Nigeria’s activist circles and lending her voice as an opposition to the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

As these personalities continue to make their moves, it is clear that the 2027 general elections will be a closely contested affair. Each of these individuals has thrown their motivations and grievances against Tinubu in order to kill him politically.

Some PDP governors have thrown their weight behind Tinubu’s 2027 candidacy, arguing that as a southerner and a Yoruba man, he is the ideal candidate to serve for two terms, following the precedent set by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari from the North.

The Yorubas are likely to vote for their kinsman Tinubu. What remains to be seen is whether Peter Obi will spring another surprise come 2027 and garner support from southern, especially Yoruba youths, as he did in the previous presidential elections. Who is actually after the president’s neck? Is it all these people together, or each dramatis personae? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the political landscape of Nigeria is about to get a lot more interesting.

Will the coalition of embittered politicians who have raised their daggers against the return of Tinubu to power in 2027 in desperate attempts to unseat and kill him politically succeed?