Politics
Oshiomhole Raises Buhari’s Ghost To Cure Tinubu’s Headache
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, never one to hold back his swagger, has once again mounted the national stage with a trademark chest-thump — this time declaring that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has nothing to fear from a potential Atiku Abubakar–Peter Obi alliance in 2027.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the former APC National Chairman laughed off talks of an opposition merger, waving away any arithmetic that suggests a joint Atiku-Obi ticket could threaten President Bola Tinubu’s reelection bid.
“Did Atiku not run with Obi before and contested against the APC? Were they not defeated? They have a history of being defeated together and a history of being defeated apart. So, if they come back together, they will still be defeated,” Oshiomhole boasted.
But the senator’s confidence may be rooted more in nostalgia than reality. Politics, after all, is not a museum — old victories don’t guarantee future triumphs.
2019’s Ghosts Can’t Vote In 2027
Oshiomhole’s evidence rests on 2019 — a year when Atiku and Obi, under the PDP umbrella, squared off against Muhammadu Buhari’s near-mythic northern stature. Buhari’s name alone pulled millions across the Sahel belt, while Tinubu’s machinery in the Southwest oiled the victory train.
But 2027 will not be Buhari’s election. The northern sentiment that once danced to his rhythm is no longer in tune with Tinubu’s Lagos brass band. The APC of today is a house creaking under subsidy pain, currency collapse, and youth frustration. The broom may still be held high, but its bristles are thinning.
When Numbers Refuse To Lie
Pressed with the uncomfortable truth that Atiku and Obi’s combined 13 million votes in 2023 eclipsed Tinubu’s 8.79 million, Oshiomhole shrugged it off with a wave of 2019 nostalgia. But electoral math tells a more nuanced story.
In 2023:
Atiku Abubakar (PDP): 6.98 million votes
Peter Obi (Labour Party): 6.1 million votes
Bola Tinubu (APC): 8.79 million votes
Individually, they fell short. Collectively, they proved that Nigeria’s political appetite has shifted from loyalty to options. If Atiku brings the northern bloc and Obi rallies the southern youth, the handshake may yet shake the table.
Even more intriguing is their new African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, which — on paper — could become a third-force reality rather than a WhatsApp fantasy.
APC’s Governance Burden
For many Nigerians, the argument in 2027 won’t be about who lost before, but who lost the people now. The naira’s freefall, soaring food prices, and petrol costs have turned former APC loyalists into reluctant defenders.
“We defeated them before” rings hollow to a market woman who can no longer afford her stall rent or a graduate still waiting for light to read by.
If elections are referendums, Tinubu’s midterm scorecard may yet prove Oshiomhole’s Achilles’ heel.
X Reacts: ‘2019 Is Not 2027’
On X (formerly Twitter), reactions poured in almost instantly:
@NaijaPulse: “Oshiomhole still living in Buhari’s shadow. This is Tinubu’s headache, not Buhari’s glory days.”
@PoliticalTunde: “If Atiku & Obi can manage their egos, 2027 go shock APC. The crowd no be beans.”
@SadeSpeaks: “We dey talk economy, you dey talk 2019. Oga, rice don cost pass calculator.”
The general sentiment: APC’s victory song of old may sound off-key in the new Nigeria of hunger, hardship, and hard questions.
The Bottom Line: Old War, New Battlefield
Oshiomhole’s bold talk is vintage — the general recalling past conquests while new enemies regroup on fresh terrain. But elections are not fought in memories; they are won in markets, motor parks, and mobile screens where voters scroll their frustrations daily.
If Atiku and Obi truly unite under a credible platform — disciplined, data-driven, and duly structured — 2027 may not be a replay of 2019 but a rewrite of 2023.
History may rhyme, yes — but only if hunger votes the same way twice.
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