Daniel Bwala claims Atiku Abubakar may never be Nigeria’s president, saying his best chance was in 2023. He also predicted a quick collapse of the opposition bloc

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]aniel Bwala, a former aide to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has declared that his former principal may never achieve his long-held dream of becoming Nigeria’s president.

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Speaking on Politics Today aired Monday on Channels Television, Bwala, who served as Atiku’s spokesperson during the 2023 presidential race, said the former PDP candidate had likely missed his final real opportunity to lead the country.

“In all honesty, I have expressed my opinion that it may never have been destined by God for him to be a president in Nigeria because he has done everything he needs to do to be president and he did not win the presidency,” Bwala said.

He described the 2023 election as Atiku’s greatest chance, adding, “He will never have that kind of privilege again.”

Turning to the ongoing opposition merger talks, Bwala dismissed the newly forming coalition which includes figures like Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former APC stalwart Rotimi Amaechi.

He said the alliance, formed under the African Democratic Congress, lacked serious direction or credible policy alternatives.

“What I still find intriguing is that this coalition of internally displaced politicians have not been able to summon the courage and come up with alternative facts, alternative policies or alternative programmes,” he argued.

Bwala accused Peter Obi of failing to present any genuine disagreement with the Tinubu administration’s current policies, suggesting that the Labour leader’s criticism lacked substance.

The former Atiku spokesman also predicted that the opposition bloc would not last more than six months. He cited a statement by Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, as evidence of looming internal strife.

“But one of them, his name is Datti, already sensed the danger that is ahead for them and he said that the problem of this coalition will be who will be the President because right now, I’m quoting him, ‘everybody wants to be the president’,” Bwala said.

He concluded with a blunt prediction: “After one month, when they sit down, I am telling you on my own honour, in the next six months, that coalition thing will not even be a conversation, they will scatter.”