As political momentum builds ahead of the 2027 general election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Lagos State, has revealed that opposition leaders are actively working to form a united front to defeat President Bola Tinubu at the polls.
In the 2023 presidential election, former allies Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi — who had previously run together in 2019 — went their separate ways. Atiku contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Obi ran as the Labour Party’s flagbearer.
The division proved costly. Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 8,794,726 votes to clinch victory. Atiku and Obi followed with 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes respectively. Critics argue that the outcome may have been different had both men maintained their alliance.
Speaking during a television programme on Tuesday, Rhodes-Vivour stressed the urgent need for opposition unity, warning that a repeat of 2023’s vote-splitting would only favour the APC again.
“We cannot afford to divide our votes again,” he said. “Add Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s votes to His Excellency Peter Obi’s votes — they would have completely taken out the current sitting President.”
Rhodes-Vivour confirmed that talks were ongoing to consolidate a coalition, which would soon announce its platform for the 2027 race.
“The conversation now is about putting a coalition together. You’ll hear announcements by tomorrow or the next. Everyone is coming together. That’s our main focus. Once that’s settled, we can authoritatively say this is the party we’re running on,” he stated.
While Atiku, a PDP stalwart, is said to be leading coalition efforts, Peter Obi’s position remains uncertain. His recent public remarks have not made it clear whether he intends to join the proposed alliance, leaving supporters and political watchers guessing.