Obi Or Tinubu? Fresh Controversy Trails Obasanjo’s Political Role Ahead 2027

Fresh controversy has erupted over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political role ahead of the 2027 general election, with the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF) accusing him of secretly working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.

Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr Akin Osuntokun, however, dismissed the allegation, insisting that the former president was behind the political alliance between Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

The conflicting claims come amid growing political realignments and coalition-building efforts by opposition parties seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were aimed at weakening opposition forces ahead of the election.

The group cited Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor, Segun Osoba, in which the former president accused his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of backing an impeachment plot against him during his administration.

Obasanjo had alleged that Atiku mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in an attempt to remove him from office.

The Yoruba Ronu forum claimed the letter went beyond a personal disagreement between Obasanjo and Atiku.

“What many perceive as an attack on Atiku is, in reality, a deliberate assault on the opposition parties in Nigeria,” Malaolu said.

The group also criticised Obasanjo for involving Na’Abba in the controversy, arguing that the late former Speaker was no longer alive to respond.

“By dragging the name of Ghali Umar Na’Abba into his allegation, Obasanjo knows too well that the late Speaker is incapable of a right of reply.

“To respond to Obasanjo, he has to be resurrected from the dead, which the former President knows is impossible,” the statement added.

The group further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for Obi and Kwankwaso was being used to mask an underlying preference for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

“By this letter, Obasanjo has only confirmed speculations that he is working for his kinsman, President Bola Tinubu, to actualise his second-term ambition,” Malaolu stated.

According to the group, consultations were held with several national political leaders, including Obasanjo, before opposition figures settled on a coalition platform.

It claimed that the former president strongly favoured Obi emerging as the coalition’s presidential candidate and later facilitated political realignments which led to the Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement.

The forum also alleged, without providing evidence, that Obasanjo was collaborating with a member of Tinubu’s family to establish political structures that could benefit the President’s re-election bid.

Osuntokun dismisses allegations

Osuntokun, however, rejected the claims, describing them as baseless.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, the former presidential adviser said Obasanjo remained one of the leading figures behind the Obi-Kwankwaso political alliance.

“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi–Kwankwaso ticket. As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun said.

He maintained that suggestions that Obasanjo was secretly working for Tinubu were inconsistent with the former president’s current political engagements.

“How do you then suggest that he is secretly working for Tinubu? It does not make sense to me.

“I think that claim is absolute bunkum. The evidence is in the public domain. Obasanjo is playing a major role in supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. He was the one who brought the two men together,” he said.

When asked whether Obasanjo directly negotiated the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso, Osuntokun insisted that the former president played a central role.

“Yes, of course. That’s what I said. He brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso. Both of them are quite close to him. It is a ticket that makes sense and has the potential to make a significant impact in the 2027 election.

“I can tell you for free that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” he added.

Osuntokun further disclosed that discussions about a possible partnership between the two opposition politicians had begun years earlier.

“Kwankwaso could have teamed up with Obi four years ago. I remember him saying that if they had agreed then, they would probably have had an arrangement in which they would each spend one term in office, and Kwankwaso would now have been the beneficiary,” he said.

The controversy comes days after Obasanjo reignited his long-running political disagreement with Atiku.

In his recent letter, the former president alleged that Atiku supported attempts to remove him from office while serving as vice president.

Atiku, through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the allegation and maintained that his opposition to Obasanjo’s unsuccessful third-term bid remained one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.