Fayemi Denies Coordinating Seven-Man Opposition Plot Against Tinubu

Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has dismissed a claim by Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) chieftain Buba Galadima that he is coordinating a seven-member opposition group seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Galadima made the claim during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, where he discussed possible strategies opposition politicians could adopt ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to Galadima, he is part of a group of seven opposition figures working under Fayemi’s coordination to develop a strategy for challenging Tinubu.

“I am part of the group of the opposition candidates, seven of us meeting under the coordination of ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State to try to work on that. And we are making progress,” he said.

When asked about the group’s objective, Galadima replied that it was “defeating Tinubu.”

He further argued that opposition parties could initially field separate candidates before potentially supporting a single candidate closer to the election if they reach an agreement on who could mount the strongest challenge to the incumbent.

“Technically, legally, other opposition parties cannot produce one single candidate on the ballot to face Tinubu. We have passed that stage,” Galadima said.

Galadima also alleged that some serving governors and ministers were privately sympathetic to opposition forces, although he did not identify those he was referring to.

Fayemi, however, has rejected the claim.
His media aide, Julius Ogunro, told TheCable that there was no truth in Galadima’s assertion.

“There’s no truth in that claim. The head of the Fayemi Media Office, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, had earlier responded to such claim. It is not true,” Ogunro said.

He referred to an earlier statement by Fayemi’s media office following a similar claim by former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi in August.

Amaechi had claimed that he and Fayemi were among the politicians who initiated discussions on the formation of an opposition coalition before other political actors joined the process.

Fayemi’s media office subsequently denied the claim, maintaining that the former governor remained a member and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State.

Fayemi served as Ekiti governor from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022 on the APC platform. He later served as Minister of Solid Minerals Development under former President Muhammadu Buhari.