Fayemi coordinating seven-man group to unseat Tinubu in 2027 – Galadima

Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has alleged that former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, is coordinating a seven-man group of opposition figures working towards challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Galadima made the claim on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the opposition’s strategy ahead of the election.

According to him, the opposition parties could no longer legally present a single candidate to face Tinubu because the process for such an arrangement has already passed the required stage.

He instead advocated a strategy in which opposition parties would field their respective candidates and, shortly before the election, encourage their supporters to back the candidate considered capable of defeating Tinubu.

“Technically, legally, other opposition parties cannot produce one single candidate on the ballot to face Tinubu. We have passed that stage,” Galadima said.

He described his preferred approach as facing the President with multiple candidates before rallying behind one candidate if the opposition reaches a consensus close to election day.

“So my idea has always been that we face Tinubu as a hydra-headed snail. And if, a day to the election, we are convinced that Mr A or Mr B is the person that can beat Tinubu, we can just tell our supporters… to vote for that single person,” he said.

Galadima also claimed that he is part of a seven-member group allegedly being coordinated by Fayemi to work towards that objective.

“I am part of the group of the opposition candidates, seven of us meeting under the coordination of ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State to try to work on that. And we are making progress,” he said.

Asked what the group was working towards, Galadima replied that its objective was “defeating Tinubu.” He also said he did not know Fayemi “to be an active member of the APC.”

However, Fayemi’s media team has rejected the allegation.

Julius Ogunro, a media aide to the former governor, told The Cable that there was no truth in Galadima’s claim and said Fayemi remained committed to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ogunro also referred to a similar allegation made in August by Rotimi Amaechi, vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which Fayemi’s media office had previously denied.

At the time, Ahmad Sajoh, head of the Fayemi Media Office, described the claim as baseless and said Fayemi remained a committed APC member and leader in Ekiti State.

Fayemi served two non-consecutive terms as Ekiti governor on the APC platform between 2010 and 2022.