🚨 Atiku Faces Ticket Mastery but Lacks Election Clout — Medaner Sounds the Alarm

A recent statement by Prof. Ussiju Medaner, former Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sharply critiques Nigeria’s main opposition parties, particularly in relation to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s perceived strength in internal party politics versus his broader electoral appeal.

Ticket Prowess vs. Election Weakness

Prof. Medaner asserts that while Atiku Abubakar understands how to secure the PDP presidential ticket, he lacks the grassroots support and coalition coordination to convert that into an electoral victory, particularly at the national level.

Opposition Fragmentation Highlighted

Medaner warns that opposition activity in Nigeria has often amounted to “noise” rather than effective strategy, driven more by politicians’ soundbites and social media outcries than by structured, collaborative campaigning.

Coalition Over Reliance Needed

He urges that the opposition cannot rely solely on social media momentum or the efforts of a few high-profile figures. Instead, it must build robust coordination across party lines and geographies to mount a genuine challenge to ruling party dominance.

🧠 Strategic Insight

This analysis from a former APC insider underscores a broader truth: Nigeria’s electoral landscape demands national appeal and coalition-building, not merely party-ticket acquisition. Political success hinges on uniting diverse regional blocs and converting organizational strength into votes.

Contextual Landscape

The PDP’s internal fight for the ticket continues, especially as figures like Nyesom Wike distance themselves from Atiku’s prospects, casting doubt on his ability to unify the party base for presidential ambitions in 2027 .

Analysts emphasize that Atiku has historically struggled to extend appeal beyond his core northern base, despite retaining influence within pockets of PDP hierarchy .

Commentary on social platforms underscores opposition disarray, noting splintered support and lack of centralized leadership among opposition leaders like Atiku, Peter Obi, El-Rufai—further weakening collective electoral power .

With the 2027 presidential election looming, strategic opposition unity will be more decisive than ever. Prof. Medaner’s critique highlights a persistent flaw: winning intra-party nominations can’t substitute for popular, cross-regional mobilization.

For opposition forces to succeed, they must:

Build functional coordination across party lines;

Leverage broad-based regional support, not just media narratives;

Avoid dependence on single personalities or noisy rhetoric.

🎯 Call to Action

To translate planning into electoral success:

Prioritize cross-party collaboration, possibly via coalition platforms or power-sharing agreements;

Strengthen on-the-ground structures in states beyond your traditional strongholds;

Engage continuously with communities to transform online engagement into physical turnout.

In summary, Prof. Medaner’s remarks serve as a stark reminder that ticket-winning is tactical; election-winning is strategic. Atiku’s internal finesse may help him clinch nominations, but without alliance-building and mass mobilization, those victories may fail to translate to national power.