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BURATAI DECLARES SUPPORT FOR ATIKU-OBI-AMAECHI OPPOSITION COALITION

Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has announced his support for the opposition coalition formed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and one-time Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Buratai made the declaration at a press conference, commending the leaders for uniting despite their differences. “I want to commend the efforts of the opposition leaders, particularly former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and former Governor Rotimi Amaechi for their recent meeting in Abuja,” Buratai said. “Their decision to form a coalition is a significant step towards addressing the challenges we face as a nation. I believe this alliance is timely and necessary, especially in light of the current administration’s performance.” Buratai noted that this was the first time he would criticize President Bola Tinubu, whom he had previously supported, particularly in the area of security. He further noted that his criticism of the Tinubu-led administration stems from the administration’s underperformance, highlighting economic policies, insecurity, and governance as areas they have failed in. “The Atiku-Obi-Amaechi alliance represents a beacon of hope for many Nigerians who are disillusioned with the current state of affairs,” Buratai said. “Their commitment to unity and progress is commendable, and I urge all Nigerians to support this movement.” On the issue of insecurity, Buratai said more needs to be done to combat the hydra-headed monster. “While I acknowledge the efforts of the current administration in this regard, there is still much to be done. The recent increase in terrorist activities and the economic hardships faced by our people are interconnected issues that require immediate attention.”

ALL DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (ADA) POISED TO EMERGE AS PREFERRED COALITION PARTY

The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) is set to emerge as the preferred option for the coalition ahead of the 2027 elections. The ADA is a fusion of the League of Northern Democrats (LND) and Southern Democrats (LSD). According to sources, the decision to adopt ADA was taken this evening in a meeting aimed at fine-tuning its position ahead of the general meeting where the ADC, SDP, and ADA will be presented to the general house on May 30 for a final decision. The ADA is expected to be presented as a strong contender for the coalition’s nod, and insiders believe it has a strong chance of being adopted as the party’s candidate for the 2027 polls. While details of the meeting are still emerging, it is clear that the ADA is gaining momentum as a potential coalition partner. The party’s emergence could have significant implications for the country’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR-IN-WAITING FRIEDRICH MERZ UNVEILS NEW COALITION DEAL

German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has announced a new coalition deal between the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). The agreement aims to stabilize Germany’s economy, enhance internal security, and reaffirm the country’s position as a reliable force within Europe. “The future government, the future coalition, will reform and invest to keep Germany stable, make it more secure and make it economically stronger again,” Merz said during a news conference. He emphasized that Europe would be able to “rely” on Germany, citing growing political tensions worldwide and economic uncertainties. *Key Provisions of the Coalition Deal* – *Citizenship Requirement*: The residency requirement for German citizenship will be lengthened from three to at least five years. – *Defense Spending*: A significant increase in defense spending to address concerns over European security and the threat from Russia. – *Voluntary Military Service*: Introduction of a Swedish-style voluntary military service scheme to boost national security. – *Immigration Policies*: Tightening of immigration policies, including faster deportations for rejected asylum seekers. The new coalition faces challenges from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has gained momentum and recently polled at 25%, surpassing the CDU’s 24%. Merz’s government must navigate these complexities while addressing pressing issues like the ongoing war in Ukraine and global economic uncertainty. In response to the AfD’s rising popularity, co-leader Alice Weidel stated, “For the first time in the still-young history of the AfD, we are the strongest force in Germany. Thank you for your tremendous trust – the political change will come!” The coalition deal must still be ratified by the SPD membership before the new government assumes power.

IMPERATIVES OF A GRAND COALITION OF OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES TO WRESTLE POWER FROM THE RULING APC IN THE 2027 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Friday Lines (43) With: Dr Abubakar Alkali 29/1/25 All over the world, particularly in neo-liberal third world democracies such as Nigeria’s, both history and the science of politics have shown that the only chance of unseating a sitting government is through a GRAND COALITION of opposition political parties. It is necessary to remind the opppsition PDP, LP, PRP, SDP, NNPP and other opposition parties that they must come together and form a GRAND COALITION to stand any chance of unseating the APC and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 Presidential election. In the GRAND COALITION, the opposition political parties must present a SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE to stand any chance of beating the APC. It means only one of the opposition political parties notably the PDP will field a candidate. Under this formula, the LP, NNPP and SDP will NOT field any Presidential candidate in the 2027 election but will rally round their supporters to vote for the SINGLE OPPOSITION CANDIDATE. If there is not going to be a coalition of opposition political parties in the 2027 Presidential election, it is better not to waste any funds on a so-called election. Just swear in President Tinubu in advance for another term of office.Better to use the over N300 billion that INEC will purportedly ‘spend’ to conduct the election to build and equip skills acquisition centres for Nigerian youths across the country to promote job creation and build a skills-based economy. In Nigeria where the democratic process is extremely weak, votes are monetised, the election umpire INEC is compromised, the security agencies are partisan, the use of technology to conduct elections is purposely avoided. In all of these, the opposition stands absolutely no chance of unseating the ruling APC unless through a GRAND COALITION of opposition political parties. If the votes scored by the PDP and the LP in the 2023 Presidential election were to go to the PDP as one, the story would have been different. When the PDP dismantled to form the LP in the run-up to the 2023 election and the votes that would have otherwise gone to the PDP, ended up with LP, a gap was created and the APC won the election. Come to think of it, if the CPC has not merged with the ACN and ANPP to form the APC in 2014, the PDP will still be in power today because the votes would have split between the CPC, ACN and ANPP to pave way for the PDP in 2015. This was what happened in the 2011 Presidential elections which paved the way for the PDP to win it. According to INEC figures, the votes scored by each of the four major political parties in the 2023 Presidential election are as follows:Bola Tinubu APC- 8,794,726. (36.61%) – Winner Atiku Abubakar PDP – 6,984,520 (29.07%) Peter Obi LP- 6,101,533 (25.40%) Rabiu Kwankwaso NNPP Kano votes – 1,496,687 (6.23%) From the figures, it is very clear that Peter Obi’s candidacy led to the splitting of the votes which in turn paved the way for the APC to win the election with a mere 36% of the votes. The PDP garnered 29.07% of the votes while the LP scored 25.40% and the NNPP got Kano state votes to score 6.23%. The total percentage points scored by the 4 opposition political parties translates to 60.70% of the votes as against APC’s 36.61%. This means that if the opposition parties (PDP+ LP+ NNPP) were together in a GRAND COALITION in 2023, they would have sent the APC packing by a margin of 24.09% of the votes. This is huge. Yes history can repeat itself if the 4 opposition parties agree to come together and present ONE candidate in the 2027 Presidential election. The gladiators – 3 Presidential candidates of the 3 main opposition parties viz; Atiku Abubakar (PDP) Peter Obi (LP)!and Rabiu Kwankwaso (NNPP) must swallow their pride, step aside, put the interest of Nigeria above any personal interest and present ONE CANDIDATE for the 2027 Presidential election. The presumed Presidential candidates of the 3 main opposition political parties -PDP, LP and NNPP- must make sacrifices and step down for ONE CANDIDATE if they are to stand any chance against the ruling APC with INEC, police, all election monitoring structures and of course, free government money at the disposal of the APC. Anything short of the 3 main opposition political parties presenting ONE CANDIDATE in the 2027 Presidential election will mean handing over victory to President Tinubu and the APC on a platter of gold. Even Senegal, arguably the strongest democracy in Africa had to use a GRAND COALITION to defeat former President Macky Sall despite Sall’s glaring unpopularity. Thanks to the bravery and persistence of then opposition leader and now Prime minister Ousmane Sonko and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.Even at next door Ghana, the opposition was said to have used a COALITION to unseat the ruling party and return President John Mahama to office. In weak democracies such as Nigeria’s, there is a well documented evidence on the use of free money and other enticements as low as a mudu of rice by the government in power to entice voters. Indeed, the monetisation of votes and commercialisation of politics is a pastime in Nigeria and it is the single reason why the right people are never voted into office.Former Vice President Atiku spilled the beans when he revealed that the ruling APC is dishing out free N50 million to each opposition party leader to get them in the pocket in the run-up ti the 2027 election.In fact, the right people with conscience normally don’t even attempt to contest elections in Nigeria because they know they stand absolutely no chance of winning. Don’t read me wrong, not everybody in public office in Nigeria today is corrupt and ineffective but majority are. Even those who want to do the right thing and make a difference in public office are frustrated by the gang of fraudulent colleagues all over the space.