Obasanjo Faces Fresh Allegations of Secretly Working for Tinubu

• Fresh controversy has erupted over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political role ahead of the 2027 election after a group accused him of secretly working for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

Fresh controversy has erupted over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political role ahead of the 2027 general election, following allegations that he is secretly working to secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.

The claims were made by the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, which accused the former president of deliberately weakening the opposition despite publicly identifying with leading opposition figures.

However, Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr. Akin Osuntokun, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the former president was, in fact, the architect of the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential alliance on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The conflicting positions come as opposition parties intensify consultations and coalition-building efforts aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum alleged that Obasanjo’s recent political interventions were carefully designed to weaken the opposition rather than strengthen it.

The group cited Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, in which the former president alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar mobilised the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in an attempt to impeach him during his administration.

According to the forum, the letter was part of a broader strategy to destabilise opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

“What many perceive as an attack on Atiku is, in reality, a deliberate assault on the opposition parties in Nigeria,” Malaolu said.

The group also criticised Obasanjo for mentioning the late Na’Abba, arguing that the former Speaker could no longer defend himself against the allegation.

It further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for the presidential aspirations of Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was merely a political smokescreen intended to conceal his alleged support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

“By this letter, Obasanjo has only confirmed speculations that he is working for his kinsman, President Bola Tinubu, to actualise his second-term ambition,” the forum alleged.

The group also claimed, without presenting evidence, that Obasanjo was collaborating with a member of Tinubu’s family to build political structures that would support the President’s re-election.

Responding to the allegations, Osuntokun described them as baseless and insisted that Obasanjo remains one of the key figures driving opposition unity.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, he said the former president personally brokered the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance and continues to support their joint presidential 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.

Rejecting claims that Obasanjo was secretly backing Tinubu, he added:

“How do you then suggest that he is secretly working for Tinubu? It does not make sense to me. I think that claim is absolute bunkum.”

Osuntokun further maintained that Obasanjo personally brought Obi and Kwankwaso together.

“He brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso… I can tell you for free that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” he said.

The latest disagreement comes days after Obasanjo reignited his long-running political feud with Atiku by alleging in a public letter that the former vice president backed attempts to remove him from office during his presidency.

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 in Nigeria’s democratic history.

The fresh exchange underscores the growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general election as opposition leaders continue consultations aimed at mounting a formidable challenge to the ruling APC.