A Ekiti State former governor , Ayo Fayose, has cautioned former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and others pushing to form a coalition that could unseat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to desist from the plan, describing it as dead horse and share waste of time as well as resources.
Fayose said that a clear indication that the coalition championed by Atiku and others against Tinubu would not yield desired result was that all prominent Nigerians that were expected to have declared intention to join the move have rejected the plan.
Fayose, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dismissed the widely discussed coalition of opposition political parties on Friday while responding to questions on a popular television program.
He noted that the governors on the platform of the PDP that should have embraced the move have turned the idea down, saying this is an indication that the journey will be an effort in futility.
“Their coalition is a dead horse ab initio. Tell me one positive person, well respected Nigerians that has given his voice in support of this coalition”, the former governor added.
“If anybody is fighting out of issues with his party, he can resolve that with his party. The (PDP) governors’ actions and statement in Ibadan is to tell Atiku that we are not with you, we are going nowhere, we have our own identity.
“So, that coalition is just in the imagination of people trying to bring it to fruition. So, let me say to you, it’s a waste of time,” he said.
He said that in fact, most of the opposition governors prefer Tinubu for their survival to Atiku.
According to Fayose, something is fundamentally wrong with the PDP that needs to be fixed before the party could talk about strongly challenging the ruling party.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that the 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku will not receive his support if he decides to run in 2027 and the opposition party decides to hand its ticket to him.
”I publicly worked against Atiku, and I am saying for the second time, if Atiku comes again, I will work against him. It is time to learn our lesson,” Fayose said on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to the former governor, the crisis in the party reared its head when the decision to zone power to the North was agreed upon by the leaders.
”After eight years of a Northerner, it is the turn of a Southerner. which could involve someone from the East, South West or South South.”
”Those who gave or zoned power back to the North caused all these problems. You don’t have to like a Nyesom Wike or a Peter Obi, but there should be an unwritten, respected gentleman’s understanding of powershift,” he said.
Fayose, back in 2024, openly declared that he publicly worked against Atiku, adding that his decision was for the good of the country
“Don’t get it wrong. I worked against him (Atiku) 100 per cent. Nigeria is bigger than the PDP, APC.”
