celebrity radar - gossips
2027 or Never: Why Atiku and Obi Must Unite or Watch Tinubu Bury Their Political Futures
2027 or Never: Why Atiku and Obi Must Unite or Watch Tinubu Bury Their Political Futures. ( Opinion)
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
In the theatre of Nigerian politics, 2027 is shaping up to be a decisive year. The All Progressives Congress (APC), despite its unrelenting failures in governance, stands poised to retain power, not because it has earned the trust of Nigerians, but because its two greatest threats: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi, may once again allow personal ambition and egos to override national interest. If the former Vice President and the ex-Anambra Governor contest separately under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Labour Party (LP) respectively, they will not only hand President Bola Ahmed Tinubu an effortless re-election; they will jointly dig their political graves.
Let us be frank here: this is a game of numbers, strategy and timing. Tinubu’s APC has done little to improve the socio-economic conditions of Nigerians. From rising inflation to staggering unemployment, from Naira’s collapse to institutionalized corruption, Tinubu’s presidency has delivered more pain than progress. Yet, the opposition remains fragmented, delusional and distracted. This disunity is Tinubu’s biggest asset.
The APC’s Achilles Heel: Poor Governance, since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu’s administration has steered Nigeria deeper into economic despair. With inflation hovering above 34%, food prices have tripled and the minimum wage, even at the newly proposed ₦70,000, is laughably insufficient. The President’s ill-thought removal of fuel subsidies, without adequate palliatives, plunged millions into instant poverty. Education has suffered widespread strikes, insecurity is at an all-time high and foreign investors are fleeing. According to a March 2025 World Bank report, over 87 million Nigerians now live in extreme poverty, making Nigeria the poverty capital of the world once again.
Yet, Tinubu might still win in 2027; not because he is loved, but because the opposition is stupid.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: 2023 as a Lesson.
The 2023 election results should be a wake-up call. Tinubu won with 8.79 million votes, Atiku followed with 6.98 million and Obi secured 6.1 million. Together, Atiku and Obi racked up over 13 million votes, which is more than 4 million ahead of Tinubu. If that is not enough reason for unity, then what is?
The math is simple: TOGETHER, THEY WIN; APART, THEY LOSE.
Nigeria Cannot Survive Another Tinubu Term.
What exactly will be left of Nigeria by 2031 if Tinubu wins again? The country’s debt is already past ₦120 trillion and the Naira now trades beyond ₦2,000 to the dollar in the parallel market. Over 600,000 Nigerian youths migrated legally and illegally in 2024 alone, fleeing a system that offers no hope.
Tinubu’s second term would consolidate a one-party state, institutionalize suppression of dissent and weaponize state institutions like EFCC and DSS against perceived enemies. The judicial system is already under siege, with the 2023 election tribunal outcome still fresh in national memory. A repeat term will only embolden the worst tendencies of Tinubu’s reign.
As the fiery Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, warned in 2024: “When evil goes unchallenged for too long, it wears the CROWN of LEGITIMACY.”
The Problem With Atiku and Obi is EGO over NATION. There is no polite way to say it; both Atiku and Obi, for all their accomplishments, have failed to put Nigeria ahead of their personal ambitions. In public, they speak of rescuing Nigeria, but in private, they SCHEME SOLO PATHS to POWER.
Atiku, having contested for presidency since 1993, must realize that 2027 is his last realistic shot. He will be over 80 in 2031. Obi, though younger and with more electoral appeal among the youth, cannot single-handedly unseat a ruling party entrenched in power with all the state machinery.
Both men must come to the table, not as rivals, but as partners. As Prof. Pat Utomi said in 2023, “The future of Nigeria cannot be sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition. We need a UNITY of PURPOSE, not a MULTIPLICITY of EGOS.”
A Coalition Is Not a Weakness, It is a Weapon. Those who say a coalition is a sign of weakness forget the 2015 precedent. Tinubu himself engineered the coalition that merged CPC, ACN and factions of PDP to bring Buhari to power. That political marriage, though shaky, was enough to unseat Jonathan. Why can’t Atiku and Obi REPLICATE the same TEMPLATE?
In 2024, the ADC began rebranding itself as a third-force platform. Many Nigerians welcomed this, especially after the LP’s structure showed signs of internal weakness. However, neither ADC nor LP, in isolation, can overcome the APC juggernaut.
The only path to victory is a merger or a strategic alliance that sees either Atiku or Obi step aside for the other, while the second becomes the Vice-Presidential candidate. This formula is not new; it is TESTED and PROVEN.
Time Is Running Out
Coalitions are not built in a day. The groundwork must begin now. VOTER EDUCATION, POLLING AGENTS, GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION and INEC COMPLIANCE require at least two years of planning. The earlier this coalition is birthed, the stronger its momentum will be.
Nigerians are watching. The youths who marched under the #EndSARS banner in 2020 and those who voted massively for Obi in 2023, are disillusioned. Many feel used, abandoned and betrayed. If Obi and Atiku fail to come together now, the electorate may lose faith entirely and the 2027 election could witness record-low turnout.
This would favor only one man: Tinubu.
If They Fail, They’re Finished. If Tinubu wins again, it is OVER not just for Nigeria, but for the POLITICAL LEGACIES of both Atiku and Obi. A new generation of politicians will rise from the ashes of their failure. The political shelf life of both men will expire. Posterity will remember them not for their vision, but for their inability to act with courage at a defining moment.
The late Chinua Achebe once said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” That failure now stares us in the face; unless UNITY intervenes.
The Bottom Line: One Last Chance to Rewrite History. This is the last train for Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. If they miss it, the next station is irrelevance. Nigeria cannot afford another four years of suffering, of incompetence masked as governance, of propaganda replacing policy.
They must drop their pride, pick up the phone and forge a historic alliance. Let it be known that at a time when Nigeria was on the brink, two men buried their ambitions and rose for the people.
If they don’t, Tinubu will win and it will be their names etched into history; not as heroes, but as the ones who could have saved Nigeria, but did not.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
celebrity radar - gossips
BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu Records Africa’s Biggest Wealth Surge, Net Worth Hits $11.2bn
BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu Tops Africa’s Wealth Gains in the 2026 Forbes Rankings as His Fortune Jumps 120% to $11.2 Billion, Rising to 3rd Place; Aliko Dangote Remains No.1
Billionaire Industrialist, Philantropist, and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has emerged as Africa’s biggest wealth gainer in the 2026 Africa’s Richest People ranking published by Forbes, after his net worth rose sharply over the past year.
According to the latest Forbes list, Rabiu’s wealth surged 120 percent to $11.2 billion, representing the largest increase recorded among the continent’s billionaires in the latest ranking. The jump moves Rabiu, who is Nigerian, to third place among Africa’s richest individuals, up from sixth position a year ago.
The rise in Rabiu’s fortune was driven largely by the strong performance of BUA Cement, his flagship publicly listed company, whose shares surged by 135 percent over the past year. The rally significantly outpaced gains in the broader Nigerian Exchange, which has itself recorded strong growth amid improving investor confidence.
Forbes estimates Rabiu’s net worth at $11.2 billion, placing him behind luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert, whose fortune is estimated at $16.1 billion, and Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, who retains the top position with an estimated $28.5 billion.
Rabiu’s rise underscores the growing influence of Nigeria’s industrial sector and the expanding footprint of BUA Group, which has built major operations across cement manufacturing, food processing, sugar refining, infrastructure, mining and energy.
The latest Forbes ranking also highlights a broader surge in wealth across Africa’s billionaire class. The continent’s 23 billionaires now hold a combined net worth of $126.7 billion, representing a 21 percent increase from the previous year, as major equity markets rallied and regional currencies stabilised.
Nigeria remains one of the continent’s leading centres of billionaire wealth, accounting for four individuals on the list, including Dangote, Rabiu, telecommunications magnate Mike Adenuga, and energy investor Femi Otedola.
Forbes said the 2026 ranking was calculated using stock prices and exchange rates as of March 1, 2026, with privately held companies valued using comparable industry benchmarks.
Rabiu’s leap in the ranking reflects not only the strong performance of BUA Cement but also the broader momentum of Nigeria’s capital markets and the continued expansion of large scale industrial enterprises across Africa’s largest economy.
Analysts say the development signals growing investor confidence in African manufacturing and infrastructure driven businesses, sectors that are increasingly central to the continent’s economic transformation.
celebrity radar - gossips
COAS Ties Battlefield Success to Constitutional Allegiance and Civil Authority
COAS Ties Battlefield Success to Constitutional Allegiance and Civil Authority
During his operational visit to the 4 Special Forces Command in Doma, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, delivered a stark message, intertwining the elite unit’s combat effectiveness with an unshakeable pledge of allegiance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Constitution.
While directing troops to intensify high-impact operations, the COAS made it clear that their mission is a direct expression of their constitutional oath. He reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army’s primary role is to defend the nation against external aggression and provide aid to civil authority, all in strict adherence to the supreme law of the land and under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief.
This emphasis on loyalty served as a powerful backdrop to his operational directives. By linking the “decisive defeat” of terrorists to the Army’s constitutional mandate and loyalty to the President, Lt. Gen. Shaibu sought to galvanise the Special Forces, framing their upcoming engagements not just as military objectives but as a sacred duty to the democratically elected government and the nation’s founding charter. The message was clear: their fight is a fight for the Constitution and the president it empowers.
celebrity radar - gossips
Mercy Johnson Okojie, Purity Okojie Lead Campaign for Girls Tag’s All-in-One Period Care Kit
*Mercy Johnson Okojie, Purity Okojie Lead Campaign for Girls Tag’s All-in-One Period Care Kit
iBlend Services, appointed Regional Agency for Girls Tag alongside its PR and marketing firm, Eddie MPR, has officially launched Girls Tag, described as Nigeria’s first all-in-one period care pack designed for girls aged nine and above.
The initiative seeks to tackle persistent gaps in menstrual health education and access to sanitary products in Nigeria, where many girls experience their first period with little preparation or guidance. According to the promoters, Girls Tag was created to eliminate the fear, confusion, and stigma often associated with puberty, replacing them with confidence, comfort, and dignity.
Beyond hygiene, the brand positions itself as a supportive care system for both girls and parents, offering tools and language to guide families through early puberty conversations.
To strengthen its reach, Girls Tag announced a strategic ambassadorial partnership with Nollywood actress and philanthropist Mercy Johnson Okojie and her daughter, Purity Okojie. The mother-daughter collaboration is intended to reflect authenticity and relatability for Nigerian families navigating similar experiences.
Speaking on the partnership, the leadership of iBlend Services expressed confidence that the ambassadors’ real-life connection would resonate deeply with mothers and daughters nationwide.
Mercy Johnson Okojie, in her remarks, described the initiative as a natural fit, noting that puberty can be an anxious period for both parents and children. She also revealed that her newly authored puberty guide, Youberty, will be included in every Girls Tag kit. The book is designed to help boys and girls aged 10 to 13 better understand the physical and emotional changes that come with growing up.
Each Girls Tag care pack contains premium sanitary pads in various sizes, overnight period pants, panty liners, disposable sanitary bags, a discreet sanitary purse, and a copy of Youberty. The kit is tailored to support first-time and early period experiences while promoting proper hygiene and self-care.
The company disclosed that the product will be available nationwide in Q2 2026 at select retail stores, pharmacies, and malls, with direct delivery options through its website and social media handle, @girlstag.ng.
With its combined focus on education, dignity, and accessibility, Girls Tag aims to reshape menstrual health support for young girls across Nigeria.
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