A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dominic Alancha, has cautioned that a potential alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi could seriously undermine the ruling party’s chances in the 2027 general elections. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Alancha said that if both opposition leaders agree on a joint presidential ticket, they could pull between 13 to 14 million votes, a figure he warned would pose a major threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
His remarks come in the wake of opposition leaders—including Atiku, Obi, ex-Senate President David Mark, former ministers Rauf Aregbesola and Rotimi Amaechi, as well as former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai—formally adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on July 2, 2025, as their coalition platform to challenge Tinubu. The group is banking on the combined electoral weight of Atiku and Obi, who together secured more than 12 million votes in the 2023 election, surpassing Tinubu’s tally by over four million, though the APC candidate was declared winner by INEC.
Alancha, who also heads the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum (NENF), further urged Tinubu to reconsider retaining the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027, warning that it could erode the party’s national appeal. He stressed that while political calm prevails for now, campaigns will reopen deep divisions, especially if the ruling party repeats its 2023 strategy. “If the Muslim-Muslim ticket is retained, it’s going to pose a threat and deplete our support base,” he said, noting that an Atiku-Obi alliance could consolidate nearly 14 million votes compared to the APC’s 8 million from 2023. The NENF has repeatedly advised Tinubu to avoid alienating northern Christians, insisting that inclusivity will be key to broadening the APC’s electoral reach.