Sani: Political Survival Behind Opposition Governors’ Support for Tinubu

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, says political survival, electoral calculations and the need to deliver for their states are driving the growing support for President Bola Tinubu by some opposition governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sani spoke on Tuesday as a guest on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.

According to him, cross-party alliances are already reshaping Nigeria’s political landscape, with prominent opposition governors recalibrating their relationship with the central government after recent electoral contests and geopolitical shifts.

—“They Have Weighed Their Options”—

Sani specifically named three governors: Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Charles Soludo of Anambra State, and Alex Otti of Abia State.

He said they had assessed their political options and concluded that cooperating with the Federal Government was more beneficial to their states.

“If you are a politician, you look at both sides of what will be better for your present and also for your future. And strategically, what will also be easier for your people,” Sani said.

“These opposition governors, like Otti of Labour, Soludo of APGA, and Adeleke of Accord, they have weighed the two options, and they have seen that they are safer and better identifying with Asiwaju. Not for anything, but there is no credible and viable alternative to him.”

—Why Soludo, Otti And Adeleke Are Aligning With Tinubu—

On Governor Soludo, Sani argued that aligning with Atiku Abubakar would offer little value because Atiku has limited support in Anambra.

He also said Soludo could not fully identify with Peter Obi because Obi’s influence is largely confined to the South-East, and Obi is not even a member of APGA.

“But you can see also that Tinubu is not a member of his own party. But he looks at the wider acceptability in terms of the whole country,” Sani said.

On Governor Otti, Sani said Obi had left the Labour Party, and that even if Abia voted for Obi, his strength would likely remain restricted to the South-East.

“So, he is taking Abia to the mainstream,” Sani said.

On Governor Adeleke, Sani noted that despite winning re-election on the platform of the Accord Party with over 511,000 votes, the governor understands that presidential politics in Osun could go differently.

“He has won his election, and Tinubu has stopped any form of interference to tamper with that,” Sani said. “Adeleke needs Tinubu. Tinubu needs Adeleke.”

He pointed to the Federal Government’s intervention in the controversy over the freezing of Osun State Government’s account by the EFCC as an example of why Adeleke cannot afford to completely sever ties with the President.

—“Politics Is The Vehicle To Other Things”—

Sani stressed that the governors’ support for Tinubu does not necessarily mean they believe the administration has delivered everything they expected.

Rather, he said, it is about positioning their states within the national political structure and securing access to the center.

“If you are a politician, before you think of any policy or programme, you first of all have to think of winning an election and remaining on your seat because politics is the vehicle to other things,” he said.

“You must secure your seat first. You must secure your state first before you think of the next thing to do.”

Sani argued that political competence alone cannot guarantee success in Nigeria without an understanding of the country’s political structure.

“You can be the most competent person in Nigeria, you can be the best person in Nigeria, but you have to go through the political ritual for you to assume political office,” he said.

—2027 Realignment Underway—

The former senator said the emerging relationships reflect the realities of Nigerian politics, where alliances shift when the interests of politicians and their constituents change.

He noted that unlike in 2015 when the opposition had strong regional anchors in both North and South, the current opposition lacks a figure with nationwide reach to challenge Tinubu.

“If you pick Atiku, who is from the North, then you ask him who is going to deliver the Southern part of Nigeria to him. Who is going to deliver the Southwest or the Southeast? He has virtually none,” Sani said.

Sani’s comments come amid increasing political realignments ahead of 2027, as opposition politicians reassess their relationships with Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.