Atiku, a key figure in the discussions, described the move as necessary to confront what he called an “incompetent and inefficient government.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has opened up that members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party are all engaged in talks for a coalition to remove President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“We are having a coalition. All the major political parties are involved in this coalition. The APC, PDP, Labour—all of us are involved. That is the only way to go. We face a very, very incompetent and inefficient government,” he said.
He made the remarks while receiving a delegation of stakeholders from the Kogi East Senatorial Zone, led by former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba.
Atiku also expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of insecurity in Nigeria, accusing the Tinubu-led federal government of lacking the political will to tackle the crisis.Nigerian fashion
"I have taken note of some of the issues you have raised. I am bewildered by this issue of security. There have been a number of debates about the cause of this insecurity. Some people argue that it is being promoted from within, others say from outside. What I can attest to is a serious lack of commitment by our government,” he said.
He recalled an incident from the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, describing how swiftly the government acted to quell the rise of Boko Haram in 2002.
"You remember when Boko Haram started? It was actually in 2002. We were in office, and the President sent for me. It started in Yobe, actually.
"And I said, ‘Mr. President, let's call the service chiefs and give them a deadline. If they cannot put it down, then they should put down their uniforms and go away.’
"He called the service chiefs—I was there—and gave them marching orders. Within a few weeks, we put down the insurgency. It never came up again till we left office.”
He continued, "One thing I would say is that there is a lack of political will. When they are killing your citizens, how you can even eat and not give a damn is the greatest irresponsibility by any political leader anywhere.
"I hold our leadership responsible for all this insecurity that is going on across the country. We are under-policed. We do not have enough policemen in this country. We have many educated and unemployed people—why can't you recruit them into the police?"
Earlier in April, Atiku had criticised the government for allowing violence to become normalised, lamenting that killings are now so frequent they no longer make news headlines.
"The failure of Bola Tinubu’s security architecture has now become an endemic nationwide phenomenon, with repeated killings—more of which do not even make the headlines,” he said.
He offered his condolences to communities affected by recent violence, especially in Plateau State.
"Nigerians are now being forced to get used to such news of wanton killings, and I again offer my condolences to the bereaved communities of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State and the affected families.”
Atiku also issued a stern warning to the federal government, urging immediate reforms in the country’s security framework.
"I wish to restate my counsel to the Tinubu-led FG to reconfigure its security architecture to meet the needs of protecting the lives and properties of our people,” he added.