Rita Odafe
Rauf Aregbesola, previously the Minister of Interior, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex-governor of Kano State, convened in Lagos to strategize for the upcoming 2027 general election.
This meeting occurred shortly after Aregbesola’s political faction, the Omoluabi Progressives, withdrew from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to group spokesperson Abosede Oluwaseun, members decided to leave the APC due to exclusion from party activities, the suspension and removal of leaders without proper hearings, and ongoing disrespect towards the party structure.
Subsequently, the APC in Osun officially expelled Aregbesola over alleged anti-party behavior.
Aregbesola, who served as Osun’s governor from 2010 to 2018 under the APC, also held a ministerial position during Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency from 2015 to 2023.
Talks about creating a coalition to challenge the APC have been intensifying as the 2025 elections approach.
Meanwhile, various politicians from opposition parties are engaging in strategic discussions.
In November, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar invited Labour Party leader Peter Obi for a breakfast discussion in Adamawa state.
In January, other politicians, including former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai and ex-Sani Abacha aide Hamza Al-Mustapha, gathered for a meeting organized by Shehu Gabam, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in Abuja.
