Between Atiku and Adeleke

Politics, like palm wine, usually ferments best in clay pots, and the Nigerian brand of it brews with a mischievous spirit. One can hardly sip without tasting betrayal, loyalty, and a hint of slapstick. So here we are, watching the swirl between Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ademola Adeleke, a duo once yoked by party and perhaps pounded yam, now dancing on opposite rhythms.

Atiku, that veteran of ballot battles and legendary defections, has again turned his face from the PDP tent, this time finding shade beneath the sparse umbrella of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Whether this new alliance is an ark or a mirage remains anyone’s guess, but Atiku’s tone is unmistakable: the PDP, he says, is too frail to win. Again, he’s left. Again, he insists the ship is sinking.

But Adeleke, the crown prince of Osun State’s groove and governance, has chosen a different beat. He remains in the PDP, feet planted but eyes wide. He and his loyal band of party elders have pledged, somewhat curiously, to back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, even as they insist the party remains intact and undefeated in Osun.

What does one make of a PDP governor endorsing an APC president? Is this a new rhythm in Nigerian politics or just another step in the old masquerade dance of convenience?

The question, of course, is not merely about the handshake across party lines. It is whether Adeleke’s allegiance to Atiku has expired or simply evolved. Will he still invite his old comrade to the feast, or will the kitchen wail before the soup simmers?

More pointedly: will any candidate be bold—or reckless—enough to let both men mount the same stage? Nigeria has seen collapsing podiums before, but rarely ones so weighted with contradiction.

In the end, it may not matter. Nigerian politics remains a festival of shifting tunes. Some dance in silence. Others, like Atiku and Adeleke, carry drums.