Aisha Yesufu urges opposition unity ahead of 2027, calling for parties to work together behind Peter Obi while keeping their separate identities
Aisha Yesufu, human rights activist and co-convener of the BringBackOurGirls Movement, has called on opposition political parties to unite behind Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Yesufu made the appeal in a statement shared on her verified X account on Wednesday, arguing that opposition cooperation would not require political parties to surrender their identities, structures or principles.
She said the next presidential election would be determined not by the loudest supporters but by the political movement capable of building the strongest coordination.
“Peter Obi is not the candidate of one camp. Unifying under him is not surrender. It is strategy,” Yesufu wrote.
The activist argued that Obi should be viewed as a candidate with broad appeal rather than one representing a single political bloc, adding that opposition parties could work together while maintaining their separate platforms.
“Unifying does not mean dissolving your party, your platform, or your principles,” she added.
Yesufu referenced the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, noting that President Bola Tinubu was declared winner after securing 36 per cent of the vote, while opposition candidates collectively received the majority share.
According to her, the challenge for opposition parties has not been electoral numbers but their inability to organise those numbers into a coordinated political force.
“The math has never been a problem. The math has always favoured the opposition,” she said.
She also criticised divisions among opposition groups, urging political organisers, strategists and supporters to create stronger channels of cooperation ahead of 2027.
“If you are a party operative, an organiser, a fundraiser, a strategist sitting inside one of the opposition parties, we have a coordination channel for you,” Yesufu wrote.
“Not to replace what you are doing, but to connect it. We have to be unified by something stronger.”
Yesufu’s comments add to growing discussions about possible opposition alliances ahead of the 2027 election, as political parties consider strategies for challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Peter Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, attracted significant support, particularly among younger voters, but finished third behind Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
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The question of whether opposition parties can form a united front remains one of the major issues expected to shape Nigeria’s political landscape before the next general election.
