Tunde Rahman’s recent article, “2027: Thoughts on Opposition Machinations,” is a desperate attempt at political misdirection, an elaborate illusion designed to shift attention from APC’s catastrophic governance to imaginary opposition conspiracies. In his frantic bid to frame Atiku Abubakar as a power-hungry schemer, Rahman unwittingly exposes the APC’s deepest fear: Atiku’s undeniable influence and the ruling party’s waning legitimacy.
His piece reads like a poorly rehearsed dirge, sung off-key by a choir of political sycophants too timid to admit that their conductor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lost the rhythm of leadership. Instead of addressing the profound failures of his party, Rahman chooses to wage a war against shadows, flailing at Atiku while the APC steers Nigeria deeper into economic despair, insecurity, and moral bankruptcy.
There was once a fisherman whose nets yielded nothing but disappointment. Instead of fixing his torn nets or refining his skills, he raged against the river, the fish, and even the wind, convinced that external forces were conspiring against him. He spent his days writing complaints, accusing a rival fisherman, one who had mastered the art of the trade, of sabotaging his efforts. His obsession blinded him to the real problem: his own incompetence. Eventually, his people abandoned him, seeing that his failure was self-inflicted.
Rahman is that fisherman. His boss, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the captain of a sinking ship, and the APC is the clueless crew blaming the ocean instead of fixing their broken vessel. Meanwhile, the Nigerian people, battered by waves of hardship, are searching for a lifeboat. And that lifeboat is Atiku Abubakar.
Rahman’s article inadvertently confirms an undeniable truth: Atiku Abubakar has become the APC’s greatest preoccupation. Rather than tackling Nigeria’s skyrocketing inflation, widespread hunger, growing insecurity, and mass unemployment, Rahman dedicates precious time to crafting a villainous portrait of Atiku, as if Nigerians cannot see through the charade.
Why does Atiku haunt the dreams of the APC? Why is a man who is not in power the centrepiece of their fears? The answer is simple: Atiku’s popularity is surging, and the APC is in a state of panic. Sherley Anne Williams once wrote, “Some people think that having power is the ability to destroy. Real power is the ability to create.” Atiku embodies this philosophy, not merely contesting elections but presenting a vision of governance rooted in competence, economic revival, and national unity.
Rahman’s relentless focus on “opposition machinations” reveals an inconvenient reality: the APC is drowning in her own failures. Unable to justify Tinubu’s catastrophic misrule, they have resorted to the oldest trick in the book: blame the opposition, distract the people, and hope that propaganda could replace progress. While Rahman drowns in speculative fiction about Atiku’s supposed schemes, the facts about Nigeria under the APC remain stark and irrefutable:
The Naira is in freefall, dragging millions into abject poverty.
Inflation has skyrocketed, with food prices soaring beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.
Insecurity has worsened, with banditry and terrorism holding the nation hostage.
Corruption has deepened, as government officials loot public resources with brazen impunity.
Charlie W. Shedd once remarked, “People who know how to lead do not waste time pointing fingers; they fix what is broken.” But what has the APC fixed? Nothing. Instead of repairing the destruction they have wrought, they pour their energy into vilifying Atiku. But here’s the bitter pill Rahman and his fellow travellers must swallow:
2027 is fast approaching. The Nigerian people, burdened by years of APC-engineered suffering, will not be fooled by cheap distractions. Hunger is not partisan. Unemployment is not an opposition plot. Insecurity is not a political talking point, it is the daily reality of millions. And when the moment of reckoning arrives, the people will do what all oppressed populations have done throughout history, they will expel their oppressors.
Rahman warns against “opposition machinations,” yet conveniently ignores the fact that the APC itself rose to power in 2015 through relentless propaganda, deceit, and manufactured chaos.
They demonised PDP, branding her evil.
They painted Atiku Abubakar as a national villain.
They promised Nigerians a paradise that turned out to be an inferno of suffering.
But history has a way of repaying hypocrisy with poetic justice. The very deception that propelled the APC into power is now unravelling before their eyes. They have exhausted their lies, and the Nigerian people have exhausted their patience.
Analysing electoral data from the past three general elections exposes a steady erosion of the APC’s influence:
2015 Presidential Election:
Registered voters: 67.42 million
Total votes cast: 29.43 million (43.65% turnout)
Muhammadu Buhari (APC): 15.42 million votes (53.96%)
Goodluck Jonathan (PDP): 12.85 million votes (44.96%)
APC’s victory was largely due to overwhelming support from the North (80% of their total votes).
2019 Presidential Election:
Registered voters: 84 million
Total votes cast: 28.61 million (34.75% turnout)
Muhammadu Buhari (APC): 15.19 million votes (55.6%)
Atiku Abubakar (PDP): 11.26 million votes (41.2%)
APC’s dominance remained in the North, securing 11.7 million votes, while its Southern support declined.
2023 Presidential Election:
Registered voters: 93.47 million
Total votes cast: 24.9 million (26.72% turnout)
Bola Tinubu (APC): 8.79 million votes
Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and Peter Obi (Labour Party) collectively secured over 13 million votes, surpassing Tinubu’s total by more than 4 million.
This pattern is indisputable: the APC’s support base is shrinking, their vote count is plummeting, and their legitimacy is eroding. The Nigerian electorate is losing faith in them, and 2027 is poised to be their ultimate reckoning. Tunde Rahman’s frantic attempts to paint Atiku as a villain cannot erase the harsh reality that the APC has failed Nigerians on every front. He may continue to craft distractions, but history has already written its verdict.
The desperation of Rahman and his fellow propagandists is evident. Their nightmares are no longer haunted by PDP rallies, they are haunted by the silent fury of the Nigerian masses who have resolved to reclaim their dignity at the ballot box.
The APC’s reign has been a long, dark night of suffering. But the dawn is coming. And when the sun rises in 2027, the people will send a clear and resounding message:
Enough is enough.
Atiku Abubakar is not the problem. The problem is the APC. The problem is a leadership that prioritises propaganda over governance. The problem is a government that distributes suffering instead of solutions.
Tunde Rahman may continue his desperate campaign of distraction, but Nigerians will not be deceived. And when 2027 arrives, they will do what they must:
Expel the APC from power.
