Fresh controversy has emerged over former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political stance ahead of the 2027 general election.
There are also conflicting claims over whether he is backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or supporting the opposition alliance led by Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, YRLF, on Sunday accused Obasanjo of secretly working to advance Tinubu’s second term ambition while publicly presenting himself as a supporter of opposition efforts.
In a statement signed by its president, Akin Malaolu, the group alleged that Obasanjo’s recent interventions on national politics were aimed at weakening opposition forces.
It cited the former president’s recent letter to ex-Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, in which Obasanjo alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar supported an impeachment plot against him during his tenure in office.
According to the forum, the allegations against Atiku amounted to an indirect attack on opposition parties and could undermine ongoing coalition building efforts ahead of the 2027 election.
The group also criticised Obasanjo for mentioning the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, in the controversy, noting that he was no longer alive to respond to the claims.
YRLF further alleged that Obasanjo’s public support for the emerging Obi-Kwankwaso alliance was being used to conceal an underlying preference for Tinubu’s re-election.
It claimed that the former president played a key role in discussions that led to the formation of the opposition coalition and strongly backed Obi’s emergence as its presidential candidate.
However, Obasanjo’s former Political Adviser, Dr Akin Osuntokun, dismissed the allegations as unfounded.
Speaking on ARISE Television, Osuntokun insisted that Obasanjo was, in fact, one of the principal architects of the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
“If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is the Peter Obi–Kwankwaso ticket,” Osuntokun said, describing claims of secret support for Tinubu as “absolute bunkum.”
He maintained that Obasanjo personally facilitated discussions between Obi and Kwankwaso and played a central role in bringing the alliance together.
According to Osuntokun, the former president leveraged his close relationship with both politicians to broker the partnership, which he believes has the potential to significantly influence the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.
He also revealed that talks about a possible Obi-Kwankwaso alliance had been ongoing for years, suggesting that a similar arrangement could have materialised before the 2023 election.
The debate comes amid heightened political realignments ahead of 2027 and follows renewed tensions between Obasanjo and Atiku over allegations surrounding attempts to remove the former president from office during his administration.
Atiku has denied the allegations, maintaining that his opposition to Obasanjo’s failed third term agenda remains one of the defining moments of Nigeria’s democratic history.