Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi held a closed-door meeting with Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The meeting, which took place at Malami’s office, comes amid heightened political consultations aimed at forming a broad-based opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi’s visit to Malami follows a similar meeting held less than 24 hours earlier with former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, at his Asokoro residence in the capital.
Malami and Shekarau are among several political heavyweights reportedly being courted for a potential alliance that could include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The renewed coalition drive is largely seen as a strategic response to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, which saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerge victorious with 8.8 million votes, while Atiku and Obi, running on separate platforms, came in second and third respectively—dividing the opposition vote.
Since then, political analysts, observers, and civil society organisations have urged opposition leaders to unite under a common front to mount a formidable challenge against the ruling party in the next general election cycle.
As of press time, details of Obi’s discussions with Malami remain undisclosed, but sources close to the matter suggest that coalition-building and political alignment for 2027 topped the agenda.
