A former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State, George Moghalu, has cautioned opposition parties, including the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), that unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election will be a difficult task.
Moghalu, who previously served as National Auditor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) before defecting to the Labour Party in 2025, said defeating an incumbent president requires far more than the formation of a coalition or a new political platform.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the LP chieftain said divisions within opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls had weakened their capacity to mount a credible challenge against the incumbent administration.
He stressed that only a united and disciplined opposition could stand a realistic chance, noting that “unity of purpose, sacrifice and collective resolve” were indispensable to any effort to defeat the governing party.
“Let me repeat what I have consistently said: removing an incumbent is not a tea party. The only way you can remove an incumbent or present a credible and formidable opposition is when there is unity of purpose among opposition political parties and leaders,” Moghalu said.
Drawing lessons from recent political history, the former Managing Director of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) recalled how the APC emerged from the merger of several opposition parties to defeat the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
He noted that prior attempts to dislodge the PDP failed largely due to fragmentation among opposition parties, despite the presence of strong candidates.
“We presented (Muhammadu) Buhari in 2003 and 2007, and he lost. He ran again in 2011 on the platform of CPC and lost because the opposition was fragmented. Each party had its own support base, and the PDP had the advantage,” he said.
According to Moghalu, the turning point came only after multiple parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPN), agreed to set aside personal ambitions.
“It was not just a merger or an alliance. It was a case of everyone dropping personal ambition and ego. That was what produced the APC and the eventual defeat of the PDP,” he added.
The LP chieftain warned that unless opposition parties overcome internal divisions, defeating the incumbent in 2027 would remain unrealistic, as the ruling party would continue to dominate the political landscape.
He further argued that a strong opposition ultimately benefits the electorate rather than politicians.
“When the opposition is formidable, the incumbent sits up. Governance improves. It is the people that benefit, not opposition leaders,” he said.
