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Tanzanian PM to step down in surprise move
Tanzania's Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has announced that he will not seek re-election in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, effectively preventing him from being re-appointed.
Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have chosen the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their new political home after breaking away from their respective parties - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labor Party (LP).
This is one of the biggest shake-ups in Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999.
Some political heavyweights from Tinubu's All Progressives Congress (APC) party have also thrown their weight behind the formation.
The announcement is the culmination of a series of talks between the leaders to put up a united front in the 2027 election, rather than splitting their votes.
Tinubu won the 2023 election with just 37% of the vote after opposition supporters were divided between Abubakar who got 29%, and Obi with 25%.
Obi had broken away from the PDP after the party chose Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
At their unveiling with the ADC, interim chairman David Mark said it was an attempt to save the country's democracy and to stop Nigeria from becoming a one-party state.
Both the PDP and LP are also battling internal crises which some believe were instigated by external forces.
Analyst Shehu Iliyasu said Abubakar and Obi are learning the lessons of the last election.
"Both Atiku [Abubakar] and Obi felt they came so close in 2023 and would have maybe won on a joint ticket so they want to amend their mistake by working together this time around," he told the BBC.
Tinubu's biggest challengers in the last elections, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are the face of the coalition.
Although there's a long way to go before candidates are officially announced, political commentators are predicting that 78-year-old Abubakar will have another shot at the presidency - it would be his fifth attempt - with former Anambra governor Obi, 63, as his vice-presidential pick.
Other political heavyweights in the coalition include former Senate President David Mark, who like Atiku is leaving the PDP, along with his former chairman Uche Secondus, and former Tinubu also turned foe Nasir El-Rufai and powerful minister in the last dispensation Rotimi Amaechi.
