A Coalition for Power Without National Interest?

In a polity desperate for authentic leadership and systematic transformation, which the Tinubu administration is passionately and tirelessly pursuing, a cohort of power-hungry gladiators—Abubakar Atiku, David Mark, Nasir El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi, and many other political leaders lacking conscience and deep thought processes—who are among the major political actors that led Nigeria into its present economic woes, are running from pillar to post in their selfish machinations, seeking power for self-adulation rather than national development.

Their coalition is a strange fellowship of political gamblers united not by principles or policy blueprints but by raw ambition to remain politically relevant at all costs, further sinking Nigeria into the deeper trench of national calamity to which they contributed, particularly under the Buhari government, which subjected the nation to eight years (2015–2023) of systemic decline. Their mess is what the present government is relentlessly and strategically salvaging.

These political musketeers are driven by greed, selfishness, and an obsession with relevance at Nigeria’s expense. Their desire for power is neither based on pressing issues nor founded on a structured plan to develop the nation. Instead, their entire political framework is built on the unstable ground of opportunism, personal vendettas, and a legacy of looting the commonwealth, which damages their integrity.

A quick look at their past will clearly show Nigerians who these desperate political figures truly are. There is a pressing need for Nigerians not to be swayed by their sweet talk, which is disconnected from the economic realities of the country, or by their deceitful posture of concern for the masses while they remain heavily infected by the political leprosy of self-centredness and a thirst for power for its own sake rather than for service.

Abubakar Atiku

Atiku was Vice-President under Obasanjo (1999–2007). In My Watch, Obasanjo described Atiku as corrupt, disloyal, and untrustworthy, stating explicitly: “I did not trust him because I found him to be unreliable.” Keyamo, in reviewing the profiles of new-breed politicians leading the coalition adventure to unseat Tinubu, noted Atiku’s role in the privatisation program, where he sold a national asset, ALSCON, built for $3.3 billion, to a Russian associate for a paltry $250 million—a transaction symbolising national disservice for personal protection. Nasir El-Rufai, in his memoir The Accidental Public Servant, described Atiku as “part of the corruption problem” and exposed his desperation in using the system to protect personal interests—a revealing testimony from a close ally.

David Mark

A retired Brigadier-General and a key player in the Babangida administration, Mark stood firmly against the restoration of the June 12, 1993, mandate to Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, the winner of Nigeria’s fairest election. Keyamo recounted that Mark was a senator for 20 years (1999–2019) and Senate President for eight of those years (2007–2015), ironically benefiting immensely from democracy while having previously undermined it. Despite his prolonged tenure, the main road linking his town, Otukpo, from Nsukka remained impassable. An account revealed that he built a private helipad at his luxurious country home in Otukpo, flying in from Abuja rather than addressing local infrastructural decay. According to Wike, during a programme with Seun Okinbaloye on 4th July 2025, the Tinubu government these selfish politicians aim to unseat is now reconstructing the Nsukka–Otukpo road—a task Mark neglected for decades.

Nasir El-Rufai

As Minister of the FCT under Obasanjo and former Governor of Kaduna, El-Rufai presided over Kaduna during periods of intense ethno-religious violence, particularly the heinous killings in Southern Kaduna. Social media reports indicated his role in facilitating the importation of bandits to destabilise Nigeria during the campaign to remove Jonathan and install Buhari. Although Tinubu nominated him as a Minister, unfavourable security reports denied him Senate approval, leading him to turn against the government he once sought to join.

Obasanjo, in My Watch (Vol. 2) and various interviews, described El-Rufai as extremely ambitious, arrogant, self-opinionated, troublesome, and politically reckless. Senator Shehu Sani described him as a pathological liar, a dictator intolerant of dissent, vindictive, manipulative, and lacking empathy, seeking power for self-adulation rather than public service. Keyamo observed that El-Rufai was notorious for fanning the flames of religious division, with Southern Kaduna drenched in blood throughout his tenure, while peace returned miraculously upon his exit—a damning indictment of his governance style.

Peter Obi

Obi, who served as APGA Governor of Anambra State (2006–2007, 2007–2014), has been described by APGA leadership and Governor Charles Soludo as a trader in politics, advancing only self-interest. Soludo publicly dismissed Obi’s purported economic prudence as “dubious statistics built on half-truths.” Obi’s frequent defections—from APGA to PDP to LP, now through coalition to ADC—highlight his ideological inconsistency and ambition without integrity.

Obi has often spoken with double tongues within the coalition, raising concerns about his character and mental stability, with some of his blatant falsehoods indicating possible cognitive decline warranting medical attention. No rational observer can ignore the volume of misinformation Obi has generated in his unbridled pursuit of power.

Rauf Aregbesola

Regarded as Tinubu’s political protégé, Aregbesola betrayed his benefactor during the APC presidential primaries in 2023 and is now a key actor in the coalition aiming to unseat Tinubu in 2027. His actions reflect the archetype of a fair-weather, self-serving, and power-drunk personality who has forgotten his roots and mentor.

Rotimi Amaechi

Amaechi served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly (1999–2007), Governor of Rivers State (2007–2015), and Minister of Transport (2015–2022). Initially nurtured by Peter Odili, his political godfather, Amaechi is described by Odili in Conscience and History: My Story (2015) as overambitious, disrespectful, ungrateful, and a cunning manipulator. Wike, his close associate turned critic, described Amaechi as a liar, propagandist, and vindictive dictator who manipulates the public while disregarding due process.

Recently, Amaechi called for a bloody revolution in Nigeria, to which Aisha Yesufu retorted that such calls are hypocritical, urging him to begin the protest with his family. On 4th July 2025, during a programme anchored by Seun Okinbaloye, Wike exposed financial embezzlement involving Amaechi’s wife running into tens of billions of naira, further puncturing Amaechi’s self-crafted image of sainthood.

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These self-centred personalities represent the true faces of the political gangsters scheming to seize power from a committed, strategically focused President working tirelessly to restore Nigeria’s prosperity despite a super-battered economy caused by decades of bad governance, particularly under the last administration, where most of these coalition gladiators were prominent actors.

Most of these principal actors in the coalition are deftly scheming to become presidential candidates. They are primarily concerned with returning to power to continue looting the national treasury, criticising every initiative of the Tinubu administration irrespective of its national value, yet offering no viable alternatives to address Nigeria’s economic challenges.

It is no wonder that Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s 2023 running mate, objectively assessed the coalition’s principal actors, stating:

“I have not yet seen anyone in the coalition who can scheme and plan for 16 years. With due respect to Atiku, he has contested consistently—this will be the seventh time. But is there anyone else in the coalition who will say, ‘LET IT BE TO THE OTHER PERSON,’ and support them? I am yet to see that. Everyone seems only interested in their own candidature.”

Nigerians, please educate your family members, neighbours, and communities about the credentials and governance history of these gladiators forming an evil coalition under the guise of redeeming the poor. They lack the pedigree to substantiate their claims and possess a past riddled with arrogance, lies, manipulation, betrayal, incompetence, and corruption.

As is often said, actions speak louder than words. The past actions of these coalition gladiators will inevitably trail them to irredeemable failure.

Nigerians, I come in peace. Over to you.