No single candidate can beat Tinubu alone – Okonkwo
A former spokesman of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, on Sunday, warned that only a formidable coalition of the country’s top elites can end President Bola Tinubu’s re-election quest in 2027.
Okonkwo, a loyalist of former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, stressed that no single presidential flag bearer can confidently contest in the next poll, hoping to win.
The legal practitioner and Nollywood actor gave the warning when he was featured in Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
While not ruling out a possible joint ticket of Obi and Atiku, Okonkwo highlighted that there is a need to rally support for the ongoing coalition led by Atiku and the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
He said, “No one single candidate can beat Tinubu alone, by whatever name they are called. The reason is this. In Nigeria, we have entered into the unfortunacy that you will not only win, but you have to secure your victory. So you need the elites to secure your victory, even if the people vote for you.
“So if the elites come together, like they did in 2014 to confront Jonathan, in 2015, they were able to secure their victory when the people voted for them. If they were not together, they would not have been able to secure their victory. The late Nelson Mandela said it always appears impossible until it happens.
“I may not guarantee an alliance between Peter Obi and Atiku. But as we are moving to 2027, I know that there will be a coalition. Whether it will be between Obi and Atiku, I don’t know. But there will be a coalition. Why? Because that will be the only choice, the opposition has to make an impact. At the moment, if there is no coalition, Tinubu is unbeatable. He will just walk straight (to victory).”
When asked why he no longer wishes to associate with Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress, Okonkwo described the President as a tyrant,
