By Francis Ugwu
Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and other members of the opposition coalition to be wary of President Bola Tinubu, describing him as a master of “dark politics.”
Amadi, who is also the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, suggested that the Atiku-Obi-led coalition aiming to unseat President Tinubu is weak in both strategy and organization.
He made this statement on Monday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show, warning that the opposition is prioritizing elite politics over meaningful reforms.
Amadi noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) demonstrated intentionality and a higher level of seriousness as an opposition party prior to the 2015 general elections, unlike the current coalition.
He said: “They’re not really working harder. And the issue around alliance and ego, I think the problem is that, in 2015, you had a situation where politicians perhaps understood who should go first. It was clear that Buhari had the votes of at least a significant constituency. He always had more than nine million votes in each election he lost, bankable votes. And the leaders were perhaps clear in their minds that this is where to go.
“Here, I think there’s a problem of people perhaps exaggerating their importance, their right to govern. And so, the ego crisis is going to be a problem.
“Again, Jonathan wasn’t that intense and didn’t play the type of politics that Tinubu, a master of dark politics, does. The PDP took it as, ‘Oh, we’ll get everything done at the last minute.’
“We had a more independent INEC back then. In fact, their body language was even against the ruling government. So, it was a difficult proposition, but the APC managed to overcome it. Now, you have a government that understands the dark arts of politics, and is perhaps proficient and unrestrained in using them. They’ve learned from their successes and from the PDP’s failures.
“So it’s likely that there will be more intrusions into the opposition camp, more betrayals. They’re going to plant people.
“What I see is that the level of seriousness the APC had as an opposition, their capacity to engage civil society, infiltrate and manipulate various sectors, and even work the media, is absent now. There’s no one leading the movement with the mindset of ‘Let’s get this government out first.’
“Everyone seems more focused on personal opportunities, whether it’s for now or 2031. So, from a strategic and operational standpoint, the coalition is weak on both fronts. It’s far more diverse, diverse in expectations and interests. And crucially, it lacks a unifying ideology. What does it stand for?”