Inside the 2027 Political Strategy: Obasanjo and Gowon's Role Revealed

According to Sunday PUNCH, Ibrahim Shekarau, a former Kano State governor, is spearheading the northern elite's efforts to court influential southerners for an alliance in advance of the general elections in 2027.

According to sources, the group has sympathizers including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State Yakubu Gowon.

According to what our journalists learned, Shekarau, a League of Northern Democrats leader, had been talking to party figures in the South-West, South-East, and South-South about forming alliances.

On January 5, Dr. Umar Ardo, the LND's convener, announced that the organization was prepared to become a political party, stressing the necessity of developing a cohesive and respectable national political platform.
Ardo claims that in order to give Nigerians a strong option for leadership and governance, the LND intends to change its name to the League of National Democrats.

"By institutionalizing meritocracy, encouraging accountability, and guaranteeing the emergence of leaders with demonstrated competence and integrity, this new political platform seeks to provide a credible alternative," Ardo said.

According to information obtained by Sunday PUNCH, Obasanjo and Gowon counseled the group's organizers to include politicians from the South and make it a national platform.

Because the principles the LND promoted should be universal, Obasanjo had pushed the organization to think about renaming itself the National League of Democrats in late October 2024.

The former president said he would not mind serving as the group's patron when he hosted the 20-member LND delegation led by Shekarau at his penthouse inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.

"We need to start working for the good of the country. Yes, you have named your organization the League of Northern Democrats, but I would rather that you call it the National League of Democrats since your origins shouldn't be an issue," he said.

Obasanjo and Gowon were among the group's supporters, according to Umar Sani, a former spokesperson for former Vice President Namadi Sambo and an early member of the LND, who talked to Sunday PUNCH.

Shekarau was spearheading talks with influential southern leaders, according to Sani.

"We're speaking with some politicians from the South, but I'm not sure who they are," he said. Talking and moving are being done by Shekarau and others.

However, Baba Obasanjo suggested that the effort be made nationwide when we met with him. It should be national, according to General Gowon and other prominent Nigerians.
"Politicians in the South-East, South-South, and South-West suggested that this movement be transformed into a political party when we spoke with them. The leaders did not reveal the identities of the southern lawmakers they were meeting with during the briefings.

Sani explained that while talks were still going on, the LND had not yet been officially recognized as a political party.

Dr. Ladan Salihu, the group's spokeswoman, stated that talks with southern officials, such as former governors, senators, and ministers, were still going on.

He said that important political groups from the South-East had already gotten in touch with the LND before they even started to approach the lawmakers.
Notable Southern politicians, particularly those from the South-East, have been in touch with us and expressed their intention to establish the League of Southern Democrats.

In a similar vein, prominent South-West politicians have expressed interest in joining the LND should it expand to a national platform. They might even start the League of Western Democrats.

He declared, "This is a political transformation that will lead to the formation of what will ultimately become the League of Nigerian Democrats."
 

Salihu acknowledged that the LND was in regular contact with "respected southern leaders," but he declined to identify which southern lawmakers the group had spoken with.

Because they share our goal of saving Nigeria, we communicate with them virtually every day. "This is a serious movement founded on actual action, not just a rhetorical platform," he said.

The LND's action coincides with other leaders' political maneuvers to depose President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

In an attempt to defeat the All Progressives Congress in the upcoming general elections, opposition leaders have stepped up their efforts to implement significant political realignments, including possible party mergers.
On November 26, 2024, it was announced that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023, Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, and Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, had reached an agreement to either create a new party or join an existing one in order to form a coalition before 2027.

Paul Ibe, Atiku's spokesperson, subsequently attested to the fact that Atiku and Obi had been discussing forming a unified front against the APC.

In a similar vein, the African Democratic Congress and Peoples Redemption Party acknowledged that they had begun talks regarding a possible merger before to the elections.


In Abeokuta, Ogun State, on December 14, 2024, Obasanjo welcomed former governors Donald Duke of Cross River State and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State.

The conversations focused on "important national issues, including the future of politics and governance in Nigeria," according to Kwankwaso.

We're not in danger, APC and PDP

The APC, meantime, has stated that it does not perceive the possible political alliance as a danger and that it will not be disturbed by the planned mega party that northern and southern political leaders are considering.
Bala Ibrahim, national publicity director for the APC, told Sunday PUNCH that the party was aware of the political actions and cautioned against entrusting desperate politicians with the governance of Nigeria.

However, he said he was confident President Tinubu will win a second term as Nigerians started to profit from the economic changes implemented by his administration.

He declared, "The President and the APC are fully aware of the opposition's antics. However, the idea of overthrowing the incumbent will be nearly impossible for an outsider, especially one who has failed the nation in the past.
"We anticipate that the results of these measures will become apparent in 2026 and 2027, around election time. People will start to value the President and the party by that time.

"The president and the party are not complacent because of this. Actually, we're planning. We'll see who can cross the bridge with the strongest stride when we get there. The APC won't falter or be seen dozing off, I promise.

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party maintained that the LND’s attempt to turn into a political party did not pose a threat to its prospects in future elections.

Timothy Osadolor, the PDP's Deputy National Youth Leader, stated in an interview with Sunday PUNCH that no alliance or combination could overthrow the APC without the PDP
He responded by saying that the integrity and consistency of the group's members should be closely examined in light of LND's decision to become a party in order to compete with the PDP and APC.

"The PDP is not in danger from them. Without the support of the PDP, no merger or coalition could possibly beat the APC.

In 2023, we witnessed it. What resulted from the NNPP and the Labour Party? To defeat the All Progressives Congress, any kind of coalition is welcome, but individuals like Shekarau should first ask themselves some more questions, such as if they are credible, consistent, and still have electoral value, he said.
Shekarau was likewise unable to bring about any significant change, according to the PDP leader.

Shekarau is aware that his current position is above his pay grade and that he is unable to make any meaningful progress.

How many parties and organizations has Shekarau been a part of in the past five to six years? These are not the kind of folks who ought to take the initiative. Unless we are an ignorant people. We will be doomed to make the same mistakes as the past if we don't learn," he continued.