The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has observed with keen interest the renewed theatrics in opposition circles, particularly the much-advertised “coalition talks” being peddled as a grand strategy ahead of 2027. Beneath the noise and contrived optimism, however, lies a fragile contraption wobbling under the weight of personal ambitions, mutual distrust, and irreconcilable contradictions.
What is being marketed as a coalition is, in reality, a congregation of serial presidential aspirants, each unwilling to subordinate ego to collective purpose. From the outset, this assemblage has lacked ideological glue, moral cohesion, or a shared vision for Nigeria-beyond a desperate fixation on power. Coalitions thrive on compromise; this one suffocates under entitlement.
Recent public posturing has further exposed the fault lines. Pre-conditions, ultimatums, and thinly veiled threats have replaced dialogue and consensus. When leading figures openly demand guaranteed presidential or vice-presidential tickets before “alignment,” it becomes clear that this is not a partnership but a transactional bargain destined to collapse at first contact with reality.
Indeed, the latest development from the opposition stable is both revealing and instructive. We now hear appeals to supporters and sympathizers of various aspirants to refrain from attacking one another while simultaneously promoting their respective interests. This is a classic case of a house divided against itself-where internal hostility has become so intense that public pleas for restraint are issued even before any meaningful structure is formed. A coalition that must beg its own followers for peace has already conceded defeat to its internal chaos.
The presence of multiple power centres within the same tent-each convinced of its own inevitability-renders the project unsustainable. History is unkind to coalitions built on convenience rather than conviction, on arithmetic rather than ideology. Nigeria has seen this movie before, and the ending is always the same: fragmentation, recrimination, and implosion.
In contrast, the APC remains a tested platform with a proven capacity to manage diversity, resolve internal differences through established democratic processes, and present a coherent governance agenda. While the opposition rehearses discord and manufactures outrage, the APC is focused on governance, reforms, and consolidating the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Let it be said clearly: 2027 will not be decided by press conferences, social media theatrics, or hastily assembled alliances of convenience. Nigerians will choose stability over chaos, performance over propaganda, and a party with a clear sense of direction over a motley crew united only by fear of political irrelevance.
As the countdown to 2027 continues, the question before the opposition is no longer whether to form a coalition, but whether such a coalition can survive its own contradictions. The signs are unmistakable: what looms is not a formidable alternative, but an impending implosion.
Mogaji (Hon) Seye Oladejo
Lagos APC Spokesman
23/01/26
