Former militant leader Asari Dokubo has pledged to form an alliance with the North ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, accusing President Bola Tinubu of betrayal after Dokubo’s efforts to support Tinubu’s 2023 campaign.
In a video that has since gone viral, Dokubo claimed he personally funded campaign activities for Tinubu, only to feel let down by the president. Addressing his followers, he reminded Nigerians of his earlier statement, in which he urged citizens to hold him accountable if Tinubu failed to deliver as president.
He stated, “I apologize to our fathers because they were not wrong in forming an alliance with the North, and as young men, we will now start that same alliance. From today, I will work and form an alliance with the North. President Tinubu betrayed me after I spent all my money and emptied my bank account campaigning for him. The Tinubu I know now isn’t the Tinubu I used to know. We will take this message across that only the Northerners can work with the Ijaw people.”
Dokubo further expressed disappointment with the Yoruba people, saying, “We can’t work with Yoruba people; they are a betrayal to us. We risked our lives by voting and doing everything, and this is what we get?”
Dokubo’s remarks come amid increasing reports of alliances among opposition political parties. In January, political scientist Pat Utomi confirmed consulting with prominent opposition figures—including PDP’s Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso—about forming a coalition to contest future elections.
Utomi recently reiterated that Atiku, Kwankwaso, and Obi have reached an agreement to establish a new political party aimed at unseating President Tinubu in 2027.