There’s a new breeze blowing through Nigeria’s political landscape, and it carries both the scent of promise and the odour of déjà vu. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a veteran of many political battles, is once more at the center of a grand coalition initiative. There are allegedly discussions to unite the opposition: from the PDP to the Labour Party, and even disenchanted members of the ruling APC. The new party, named Sabo Tafiya—Hausa for “a new path”—claims to be a break from the status quo. It promises unity, reform, and a fresh start for a nation bogged down by disillusionment.
Nonetheless, the Nigerian voter is no longer so easily impressed with big-sounding slogans or elite forums. To many, all of this sounds too familiar.
We have seen this play before: the dramatic calls for unity, hasty handshakes before television cameras, and power-sharing agreements hammered out in air-conditioned hotel rooms. These marriages have a way of fizzling out as fast as they appear, torn apart by the very forces they claim to rise above—ego, ambition, and ideology without substance. Underneath the facade of unity, such alliances often implode under the pressure of internal contradictions and opportunism.
And therein lies the issue. Nigeria is not in need of political parties; Nigeria is in need of political sincerity. The voters are tired—not just of poor governance, but of recycled rhetoric that promises a new dawn while bringing along the same old baggage. The people are hungering, not just for food, but for leadership that listens, responds, and delivers. The Sabo Tafiya coalition cannot be another vehicle for power-seeking elites to reposition for 2027. It must be different in character, agenda, and form.
To do that, it must move beyond the appearance of merger politics and undertake the difficult work of building a truly inclusive and people-oriented agenda. What will it do differently? How will it tackle Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis, escalating insecurity, broken institutions, and entrenched inequality? Nigerians are no longer interested in nebulous notions of “rescue missions”—they must see clarity, courage, and commitment. Promises without content will not do. The voter is more informed, more cynical, and more vocal than ever before.
Real political transformation in Nigeria must begin from the ground up. That means returning to the people, not just courting party grandees. That means embracing transparency, building institutions that are bigger than personalities, and crafting a vision based on the day-to-day life experiences of common Nigerians—from the farmer in Zamfara to the trader in Onitsha, the teacher in Ekiti to the jobless graduate in Kaduna. If Sabo Tafiya cannot articulate and demonstrate how it will make these people’s lives better, then it is not a new way—a new name for the same old road.
As the nation crawls toward another election cycle, Nigerians will be watching—not with bated breath, but with cautious, even cynical, interest. This is a passing opportunity to reset the political dynamic, but only if those calling for the merger are willing to divest the old gimmicks, abandon personal agendas, and pursue genuine reform with courage and conviction.
The stakes are too high for drama. The country is bleeding—economically, emotionally, and morally. If Sabo Tafiya is to be significant, it must be a movement of content, not calculation. The time for cosmetic coalitions has passed. Nigerians deserve better.
Time, as always, will tell. But the people this time will be waiting with more expectant eyes and tougher hearts. And if this new course turns out to be the old road in a new disguise, the cost of disillusion may be higher than ever before.
