2027: Coalition will send Tinubu back to Lagos, says El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has confirmed that a high-level meeting of Nigeria’s opposition coalition was held in Abuja on Tuesday, solidifying the coalition’s plans to challenge the ruling party ahead of the next general elections.

Speaking after the meeting, El-Rufai boldly stated that the coalition’s mission is to send President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “back to Lagos”, signalling a direct political challenge to the incumbent leader. However, El-Rufai made it clear that not all current cabinet members would be swept away if the coalition comes to power — notably Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, whom he praised as “doing a great job” and worthy of retaining in the next administration.

This development follows an earlier report, revealing that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and El-Rufai have agreed to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the official platform for their united opposition front.

READ ALSO: ‘Atiku, Peter Obi, El-Rufai adopt ADC as official platform for opposition coalition’

The trio are said to have agreed to adopt the party after a meeting on Tuesday night.

“They have adopted the African Democratic Party as the coalition party, all of them (Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai) are working together. They came to the conclusion last night up till the early hours of this morning,” the insider said.

Addressing a gathering at Arewa TechFest in Katsina, on Wednesday, El-Rufai said, “Yesterday at 8 PM, there was a very important meeting of the coalition we’re putting together to ensure that President Tinubu goes back to Lagos.

“Though we will still keep Bosun Tijani, we will still keep the minister because he is doing good work.”