Opinion: Nigeria’s Opposition Lacks the Unity That Brought APC to Power in 2014

 

ABUJA, Nigeria— Defeating a ruling party requires strategy, commitment, sacrifice and patriotism, and where those elements are absent, opposition efforts often collapse before they begin, according to political commentator Jibreel Muhammad Babangoshi.

In a statement issued on May 4, 2026, Babangoshi, spokesperson and Director of Media and Publicity for the Renewed Hope Alliance (RHA) FCT Chapter, contrasted the 2014 opposition merger that produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) with what he described as the current fragmentation within Nigeria’s opposition ahead of 2027.

He recalled that in 2014, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje came together with a common goal of change. The merger led to the formation of the APC.

Babangoshi noted that key figures including Muhammadu Buhari, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Atiku Abubakar and Sam Nda-Isaiah contested the party’s primaries, but accepted the outcome without splintering the party. “There was discipline and a shared objective,” he said.

By contrast, he argued, today’s opposition is marked by individual ambition rather than coalition-building. “Instead of parties building coalitions, we see individuals shopping for platforms. Instead of sacrifice, we see ambition without restraint. Instead of unity, we see fragmentation—leaders jumping between two or three political parties within months, all in pursuit of personal presidential dreams,” he stated.

He dismissed accusations that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was seeking to impose a one-party state, saying the claim lacked credibility while the opposition remained disorganized. “A divided opposition has never defeated a sitting government—not in Nigeria, not anywhere,” he said.

Babangoshi concluded that in 2014 parties merged to win power, while many politicians today are searching for parties to serve personal ambitions. “For this to continue, make una forget am, Bola Ahmed Tinubu may not even need to struggle in 2027. It’s a cleared road for Renewed Hope,” he said.