Fresh controversy has emerged over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political alignment ahead of the 2027 general election, with the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum accusing him of covertly working to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
The allegation was, however, rejected by Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr. Akin Osuntokun, who insisted that the former president was instrumental in brokering the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential alliance on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The conflicting claims come as opposition parties intensify coalition talks and political realignments aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were designed to weaken the opposition rather than strengthen it.
The statement, signed by the forum’s President, Akin Malaolu, cited Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, in which he accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of backing an alleged impeachment plot against him during his presidency.
According to the group, the letter was part of a broader strategy to destabilise opposition forces ahead of the next general election.
“What many perceive as an attack on Atiku is, in reality, a deliberate assault on the opposition parties in Nigeria,” Malaolu said.
The forum also criticised Obasanjo for mentioning the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, arguing that the deceased could no longer respond to the allegations.
It further claimed that Obasanjo’s public support for Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was merely a political smokescreen intended to conceal his alleged backing for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The group also alleged that Obasanjo had pushed for Obi to emerge as the opposition coalition’s presidential candidate during consultations with political stakeholders and later facilitated the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance after coalition talks failed to produce a consensus candidate.
Additionally, the forum alleged, without providing evidence, that Obasanjo was working with a member of Tinubu’s family to build political structures that would support the President’s re-election bid.
Responding to the claims during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, Osuntokun dismissed the allegations as baseless, insisting that Obasanjo remains a key supporter of the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun said.
He described suggestions that Obasanjo was secretly backing Tinubu as illogical, maintaining that the former president personally facilitated the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso.
“He was the one who brought the two men together. Both of them are quite close to him, and it is a ticket that has the potential to make a significant impact in the 2027 election,” Osuntokun said.
He also revealed that discussions about a possible Obi-Kwankwaso alliance had begun years earlier, adding that the partnership could have materialised before the 2023 presidential election.
The controversy comes days after Obasanjo rekindled his long-running political dispute with Atiku by alleging in a public letter that the former vice president supported attempts to impeach him while he was president.
Atiku, through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the allegation, insisting that his opposition to Obasanjo’s failed third-term bid remains one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.
As political consultations ahead of the 2027 election gather momentum, Obasanjo’s role in opposition coalition efforts continues to attract scrutiny, with the latest exchange highlighting the growing contest over alliances and influence ahead of the presidential race.
