On Sunday, August 10, 2025, Chief Akin Oshintokun, a former political adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo and director-general of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council in 2023, warned that without a united opposition, President Bola Tinubu is likely to secure re-election in 2027, as stated in an interview with Vanguard. Oshintokun, 63, attributed Nigeria’s political instability to a “quasi-unitary casino economy” and over-centralized executive power, fostering a “winner-takes-all” culture that drives defections and undermines democracy. He criticized the lack of faith in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and judiciary, noting that Tinubu’s control over state resources makes him a “magnet for economic supplicants,” discouraging opposition and promoting a one-party dictatorship, with 60% of APC founders being former PDP members, per historical party data.
Oshintokun identified the Labour Party (LP) crisis as a clash between the “mercenary” Abure-led executive and the reformist Obidient movement, arguing that the LP’s viability hinges on Peter Obi, who could defeat Tinubu if opposition parties, including the PDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC), unite behind him. He expressed skepticism about Tinubu accepting defeat, citing his “snatch it, grab it” political philosophy. On the state of the nation, Oshintokun described Nigeria as plagued by “anomie and political dysfunction,” with deregulation policies stabilizing the economy but impoverishing citizens, as 38.9% live below the poverty line (NBS, 2024). He criticized lavish spending, like ₦150 million SUVs for legislators, amid widespread hunger, and called the ₦13 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway a potential conduit for corruption. He praised NSA Nuhu Ribadu’s efforts but stressed that Nigeria’s systemic security and economic crises require a decentralized constitutional overhaul to avoid violent upheaval.
Regarding the ADC coalition, backed by Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Rotimi Amaechi, Oshintokun noted its roots in Obasanjo’s 2018 Coalition of Nigeria Movement, suggesting it could replicate the APC’s 2015 success if unified. He dismissed Atiku’s one-term pledge as unreliable due to his history of defying North-South rotation, while viewing Obi’s pledge as credible, alongside a potential Jonathan candidacy, barred from a second term by the 1999 Constitution. X posts from @Vanguardngrnews (August 10, 2025) and @Naija_Activist highlighted Oshintokun’s call for constitutional reform, though @APCWatchNG criticized his bias toward Obi, reflecting polarized sentiments ahead of 2027.
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