2027: Political Survival Driving Opposition Govs’ Support for Tinubu — Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has attributed the growing support for President Bola Tinubu among some opposition governors to political survival, electoral calculations and the interests of their states.

Sani said governors such as Osun State’s Ademola Adeleke, Anambra State’s Charles Soludo and Abia State’s Alex Otti had weighed their political options and concluded that maintaining a cordial relationship with the Federal Government was safer and more beneficial to their states ahead of the 2027 elections.

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

According to Sani, the governors’ alignment with Tinubu should not necessarily be interpreted as an endorsement of everything the President has done since assuming office.

He said their decisions were largely driven by the need to protect their political interests, secure federal support for their states and position themselves strategically ahead of future elections.

“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.

He argued that Soludo, who governs under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, would find it difficult to align with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar because of Atiku’s limited political influence in Anambra.

Sani also said Soludo would not want to be politically confined to Peter Obi and the South-East, stressing that the governor was looking beyond the region.

He said Tinubu offered a broader national political platform because of his influence across different parts of the country.

Speaking about Otti, Sani noted that the Labour Party governor would also have to consider the broader political implications of aligning with Obi, who has left the Labour Party.

He argued that while Obi could command significant support in the South-East, his political reach outside the region remained a major consideration for governors seeking wider national influence.

According to Sani, the governors were therefore attempting to take their states closer to the political mainstream rather than isolate them from the Federal Government.

“So, once you win your state, the next is you think of the broader goal of the people of your state in terms of the gains they can get from the centre,” he said.

On Adeleke, Sani said the Osun governor’s decision to support Tinubu was also influenced by political realities following his victory at the state level.

He noted that winning a governorship election did not automatically mean a governor could determine how voters in his state would behave during a presidential election.

Sani said Adeleke therefore had to consider both his political future and the potential benefits of maintaining a working relationship with Tinubu.

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

The former senator also cited the controversy surrounding the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as an example of the importance of the relationship between Adeleke and the Federal Government.

Sani maintained that the relationship between Adeleke and Tinubu was based on mutual political interests.

“Adeleke needs Tinubu. Tinubu needs Adeleke,” he said.

He further argued that political survival often takes precedence over ideological differences among Nigerian politicians.

According to him, elected officials must first secure their political positions before they can effectively pursue policies and programmes.

“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,” Sani said.

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

Sani added that political competence alone could not guarantee electoral success without an understanding of Nigeria’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.

His comments come amid increasing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several opposition politicians reassessing their relationships with Tinubu and the ruling APC.