JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
In this report, project.ng corresponding reports that despite the fact that INEC has raised the alarm about the start of campaigning for the 2027 elections by political parties, there has been a slow take-off of open election campaigning. Added to this is the opposition’s shaky mega-coalition project.
The dragging foot
It is no longer news that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the campaign for the 2027 presidential elections on August 19, but the expected frenzy is missing from the political space.
Unlike in the past, today billboards across the country are empty, demonstrations are weak or absent, while opposition parties, despite boastful rhetoric, are still struggling to build a much desired united front.
Instead of a bang, Nigeria’s biggest political contest begins with a whisper. Project weekendThe results indicate that, from fear, to money, to bad coalition politics to voter apathy, the waiting game is on and the country is calm.
Concerned about the development, political analyst Richard Aribidesi, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, attributed the development to the financial situation of the parties, divergent opinions and indecision on the part of political actors who continue to wait for the party that will bat first on the coalition issue.
“Among APC, PDP, LP, NDC, PRP, YPP, NNPP and ADC, the energy is low. No mega rallies. No policy documents but only cautious declarations and behind-the-scenes meetings. This to me is killing the democratic culture and now making democracy no longer as attractive and colorful as it once was,” Aribidesi said.
Between political strategy and fear
Observers are curious: is silence a political strategy, fear of the unknown or simply inability to create a common front?
A political commentator, Asimi George, analyzing the situation in another exclusive chat with our correspondent, said that the real problem is the opposition.
He said the PDP, LP, APM, NNPP and ADC all agreed on one thing: the APC must be beaten. But I disagree on how. The idea of “one candidate” is on the table, but ego and zoning are tearing it apart.
Although one analyst and critic, Dr. Sam Amadi, recently set the record straight when he defended the slow start, saying, “The slow start is intentional.”
“The parties are afraid of reaching the peak too soon. But it is also because the opposition does not yet have a figurehead. A faceless coalition is just a press conference.” Amadi said.
Coalition or talk show?
Since docking a few weeks ago, the coalition and G-100 supporters have held meetings in Abuja and Lagos since July. “Everyone wants to be president, no one wants to be vice president,” a PDP leader, who was aware of the deal, told this medium.
He said the oppositions fear that the APC may use state resources to drown them when campaigns become serious, hence the hesitation. “Don’t spend now and you’ll be broke in 2026,” a party source said.
From the look of things, the G-100’s plans to produce a consensus presidential candidate may face obstacles such as ADC presidential candidates, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the Nigeria Democratic Congress, former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, and the APM, Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, have maintained their presidential ambitions.
The push met resistance from Atiku, Obi and Makinde as none were willing to withdraw from the race in favor of another.
Rather, they continue to present themselves as capable of removing Tinubu, a development that has not only cast serious doubt on the project but also fueled uncertainty about the possibility of a one-ticket deal.
Meanwhile, African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Omoyele Sowore and a number of other political parties have since distanced themselves from the one-candidate solution, according to polls.
Although the reasons could not be immediately ascertained, multiple sources confirmed that the reason could be the ideological and political difference between political parties and prayers.
Break the bad luck
However, against all odds, the APC in Lagos, few days ago, broke the evil eye by beating drums at a ceremony, where it declared Tinubu’s re-election bid as a matter of national interest.
The party which used the platform as the formal start of its campaign for the 2027 elections said Tinubu had demonstrated the ability to govern Nigeria’s diverse and complex society and delivered on key campaign promises, urging Lagosians and other supporters to secure his return for a second term.
The campaign launched at Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan, brought together Muslim and Christian clerics and traditional worshipers who offered prayers for Tinubu, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the party’s governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, and other APC candidates.
The event was also attended by APC leaders, including the State President, Cornelius Ojelabi; Leader of the Advisory Council on Governance, Tajudeen Olusi; The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa; former President Yemi Ikuforiji; former finance minister, Wale Edun; Senator Idiat Adebule, Senator Ganiyu Solomon and other party officials and candidates.
Fans dressed in festive colors carried banners while drummers and other performers created a country atmosphere at the stadium.
Sanwo-Olu, who said the party sought divine guidance before embarking on its campaign, warned party members against complacency.
“We don’t take anyone for granted. We just asked God to give us direction. We will work, but we are also people of faith.
“Now we can start the journey after prayer,” Sanwo-Olu said, adding that “we will go to work. We will go around. We will go to the nooks and crannies of Lagos and the South West,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu then pledged to mobilize support across Lagos and the South West for Tinubu’s bid for a second term, urging party members to approach the presidential campaign with utmost commitment.
“On February 6, by the grace of God and the support of all Lagosians, our deputy governor, who is our governorship candidate, will be elected governor of the State of Excellence,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Hamzat expressed himself along the same lines, stating that the party has entrusted its campaign and its candidates to God. “We are sure that we will win because we have handed everything over to God.
“As we are starting, we believe that we should put everything in the hands of God. Our party believes in God. We are putting our party and our country in the hands of God,” he said.
Hamzat prayed for Tinubu, his wife Oluremi, Sanwo-Olu and his wife Ibijoke, as well as APC candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly, calling for peaceful elections, adding: “We want the elections to be free of violence. We will not be victims of any incident.”
Campaign chairman, Musiliu Obanikoro, at the event, warned against internal divisions that could undermine the party’s electoral prospects.
“We may have different aspirations, preferences and interests. It is normal. But we belong to a party and we must face the elections with unity.
“There must be no room for bitterness, recrimination and we must not work towards conflicting objectives. We have competed with dignity. We must work together. The political office is temporary, but the relationship and the society we build will remain,” he said.
He described APC candidates at the national and state levels as the best choices available and supported Tinubu’s candidacy for another term. He argued that the president had demonstrated that he could manage Nigeria.
To be or not?
While most analysts think the idea of a coalition is smart, they also believe it has come too late, as trust cannot be built in six months. The APC started building in 2013, but today’s opposition started in 2025. That’s why it is slow.
Analysts are of the same opinion: if there wasn’t a coalition and a candidate before the start of the electoral campaign, the opposition would have lost the game.
