₦airaland Forum

2027: The Same Old Faces, Same Ambition — The Coalition of Greed

By Prince Festus Oyom

As Nigeria inches closer to the 2027 general elections, a familiar script is already unfolding: the resurrection of old political heavyweights with tired promises, recycled rhetoric, and the unrelenting ambition to rule, not serve. The political landscape is once again being littered with the footprints of perennial contenders—men who have been at the center of Nigeria’s political turbulence for decades. Among them: Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, David Mark, and Nasir El-Rufai—all powerful figures from different corners of the country, all with one common trait: unyielding political ambition cloaked in the language of national interest.

But beneath the lofty speeches and rebranded slogans lies the same unrepentant truth: Nigeria is being held hostage by a Coalition of Greed, not a coalition of vision.

Atiku Abubakar: The Never-Ending Presidential Pilgrimage

There is no better symbol of Nigeria’s recycling culture than Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and five-time presidential candidate. A political chameleon par excellence, Atiku has traversed virtually every major party in Nigeria—PDP, ACN, APC, and back to PDP—shedding ideologies like worn shirts, always in pursuit of one thing: Aso Rock.

In 2023, Atiku ran again, touting his experience, his "national appeal," and a restructuring agenda that, ironically, he had decades to champion while in power but never truly pursued. Now, in 2027, signs are emerging that Atiku might yet again offer himself as the "last hope" to save Nigeria—this time backed by a coalition of political relics, rent-seeking elites, and recycled technocrats.

But the real question is this: What does Atiku offer now that he didn’t offer in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, or 2023? His legacy is heavy with political betrayals, elite-driven alliances, and an unwillingness to step aside and nurture a new generation. His persistence, once admired, now feels like political gluttony—ambition without introspection, leadership without renewal.

Rotimi Amaechi: The Politician Who Burned All Bridges

Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, has always fancied himself as a fearless combatant in Nigeria’s political wars. But Amaechi’s trajectory is a case study in political contradiction. Once a loud critic of Jonathan, later the engine behind Buhari's 2015 campaign, and now a man politically orphaned by the very system he helped create.

Amaechi's rumored 2027 ambitions are not born of a national calling but of a personal vendetta—to reclaim relevance, to punish his political enemies, and to settle old scores. His fall from grace within the APC, particularly his loss to Bola Tinubu in the 2022 primaries, was a public humiliation. Since then, he’s hovered on the periphery, quietly mobilizing, whispering about reform, but surrounded by a clique of opportunists eager for a comeback.

But Amaechi, for all his bluster, offers no real ideological clarity. His past is filled with fiery rhetoric, weak institutions, and underwhelming delivery. Nigeria doesn't need another noisy gladiator. It needs thinkers. Strategists. Nation builders. Not men who see power as a boxing ring.

David Mark: The Shadow Elder Seeking Light Again

In the pantheon of Nigeria’s political elite, David Mark remains one of the most enigmatic. A soldier-turned-senator, Mark was Senate President for eight years during the PDP’s golden era of elite impunity and rubber-stamp legislation. In those years, he presided over some of the most docile and patronage-driven National Assemblies in Nigerian history.

Today, David Mark is quietly reasserting himself in PDP circles—not as a visible presidential candidate yet, but as a kingmaker and elder statesman with rumored presidential or vice-presidential interests. But behind the curtain lies a stark truth: David Mark represents the old establishment—the custodians of “turn-by-turn” politics who believe the presidency is an entitlement, not a responsibility.

Even his so-called political neutrality is a mirage. His networks are deep within the oil-fueled, middle-belt elite circles that have resisted reform, patronized mediocrity, and enabled institutional decay for decades.

Nigeria needs visionaries, not retired godfathers looking for a last dance.

Nasir El-Rufai: The Mastermind of Political Calculations

Perhaps the most dangerous of them all is Nasir El-Rufai—the brilliant, volatile, and polarizing former governor of Kaduna State. El-Rufai has long fancied himself the ideological counterweight to the rot in Nigerian politics. Yet, his legacy is deeply conflicted: a man who talks reform but governs with vengeance; who promotes efficiency yet tolerates authoritarianism.

Since leaving office, El-Rufai has been building a covert coalition of like-minded technocrats, disenchanted youth, and disillusioned Islamists—carefully avoiding public political declarations, yet very much in the game. His rumored ambition for 2027—whether as president or power broker—is not far-fetched. He remains one of the few northern politicians who commands respect across technocratic, Islamic, and political blocs.

But El-Rufai’s problem isn’t lack of intelligence. It’s trust. His style of governance—marked by sectarian tensions, punitive policies, and disregard for dissent—leaves many questioning his capacity to unite, not divide. He is feared, not loved. Admired, not trusted.

El-Rufai is not a solution. He is another version of the problem—sharper, colder, more calculating.

The Tragedy of a Nation Held Hostage

The painful irony is that none of these men—Atiku, Amaechi, Mark, or El-Rufai—have evolved in their politics. They may have upgraded their language, hired better PR firms, or learned to trend on social media, but their ambition remains rooted in the same tragic instinct: to rule, not to serve.

Together, they form a Coalition of Greed—a network of men who have tasted power, squandered opportunities, and now seek one more shot at relevance under the guise of patriotism. They are not offering a new Nigeria. They are offering a rebranded Nigeria, where they continue to dominate, manipulate, and distribute power like family inheritance.

If Nigeria is to break free, it must look beyond this club of elites. It must demand a new generation of leadership—untainted, unburdened, and unafraid to dream differently.

Conclusion: Nigeria at a Crossroads

As 2027 approaches, Nigerians must decide: Do we remain slaves to the past, or do we write a new chapter? The time has come to reject the politics of nostalgia, to resist the seduction of big names with small ideas, and to confront the painful truth—that those who led us into the pit cannot be trusted to lead us out of it.

Atiku, Amaechi, Mark, El-Rufai—they have had their time. Now, the nation must reclaim its own.