The Federal Government has dismissed claims by the Nigeria Democratic Congress’ presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, that President Bola Tinubu will be defeated in the 2027 general elections, insisting that the All Progressives Congress is confident of retaining the presidency.
The Minister of Defense, Christopher Musa, stated that the APC would win the presidential election, as well as the governorship and other electoral elections in Kaduna State, dismissing reports of growing resistance to the ruling party in the North.
Musa spoke on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television’s Politics. Today, hours after Obi and Kwankwaso promised their followers that they would fight any attempt to rig the 2027 elections.
While Obi cautioned that people would not allow their votes to be manipulated at voting stations, Kwankwaso suggested that the APC may lose despite controlling more than 30 states, citing former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat in 2015.
Musa was replying to an allegation that Kaduna voters would punish the APC and President Tinubu for the administration’s performance.
Musa rejected the notion, calling the perceived rejection of the APC in the North a matter of perception.
“That’s a perception. It’s a perception, and I mean, everybody has his own perception to deal with. People will always have the good, the bad, and the ugly,” he said.
Speaking on whether the APC could lose Kaduna State in 2027, Musa said he was certain the party would win the state.
“I cannot say I cannot lose. APC will win in Kaduna. That I know,” he said.
When asked if he was referring to the governorship election, the minister said, “Definitely.” “Presidential, governorship, and other levels.”
Musa, who is from the North, was also queried about the region’s alleged growing anti-APC and Tinubu stance.
He rebuffed the suggestion, claiming that certain people were attempting to abuse popular emotion because they were unhappy with their current situation.
“That’s why I said there are some people, because probably they are not where they think they are; the tendency is they want to whip up sentiments. APC is this, APC is that,” he said.
The minister supported Tinubu’s policies, claiming that the president had made difficult decisions that will eventually generate results.
“But I can tell you this: the President has taken very painful decisions, and I can tell you these are decisions that are coming in gradually,” Musa said.
He noted that Nigerians would eventually appreciate the rationale behind some of the administration’s decisions, particularly its economic policies.
“I mean, you can look at the economy and all these things; we’re coming in gradually. At a time, people will now realize that, look, this thing we thought was like this, this is actually how it’s going,” he said.
Musa concluded his claims with a firm prediction: “And I can tell you, APC will win.”
Earlier on Thursday, Obi and Kwankwaso assured fans and party members that no one would frighten or undermine their votes at the polls during the 2027 general elections.
Obi swore that anyone who sought to prevent votes from being counted in the poll would also be counted.
He spoke in the “Obi Talks Nigeria” Town Hall Meeting in Port Harcourt.
Responding to comments from supporters, Obi stated that anyone who believes that the 2027 election will be as easily controlled as the 2023 election is crazy.
“Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booth. If you get to any polling booth today, the highest number of officials you see in any polling booth is five.
Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, ran in the 2023 presidential election on the Labor Party platform and finished third behind Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates after receiving 8,794,726 votes, the election’s highest total and meeting the constitutional criterion for success.
He also received at least 25% of the vote in 30 states, surpassing the constitutional limit of 25 states.
Atiku finished second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi received 6,101,533 votes.
Despite the official proclamation of the results, Obi claimed that the election was tainted by manipulation and intimidation of his loyalists, and he, along with many of his supporters, has maintained that he won Rivers State and the 2023 presidential race.
Obi said that anyone attempting to manipulate the 2027 election would struggle to succeed.
“And that is the demand we are going to make aggressively. Yes, they will try to manipulate the IReV. But let me tell you, it will not be easy this time,” Obi stated.
The NDC presidential candidate further stated that voters will reject any attempt to alter results via the INEC Result Viewing Portal and that multiple portals would be offered.
According to him, “There will be so many IReVs this time. This time around, if there is a network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch.
“By allowing them to continue, that glitch will glitch our lives. That’s what we are suffering today. This time, all of us will rescue our country. Somebody said, ‘We are ready to die.’ Let me tell you, I’m ready to die too.”
The party’s vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, stated that Nigeria requires a determined, strong, and dynamic president capable of tackling the country’s difficulties while also serving the needs of its population.
Kwankwaso, for his part, advised Nigerians to make the proper leadership decision, pointing out that many candidates for the presidency lacked the required expertise to effectively administer the country.
He said, “I believe that Nigerians must not make mistakes again. This is the time to get it right. And anything to the contrary, I believe people, if they make a mistake, certainly people will regret making that mistake. Because it will be too costly for the people and the country. Many of these people have no experience, or they want to forget history.”
Kwankwaso mentioned that the ruling party would lose the election despite having 30 state governors, recalling that former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election even while in power.
He stated, “Jonathan was the president; the sitting president lost the election. I’ve given you an example, especially those who think because they have over 30 governors, they cannot lose the election. That was a very big mistake.
“By the grace of God, all of them (governors), especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend.
“The trend is that those governors and their party have performed woefully, to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign. Why? Because from top to bottom, he did absolutely nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the NDC’s governorship candidate in Rivers State, praised the party and its supporters for their endurance and tolerance during the meeting.
Lulu-Briggs stated that the party will change the country into a working nation and that Rivers’ followers are courageous enough to work for the party.
“We want to thank you for your sacrifice. I want to assure you that we shall have a Nigeria that works. I want to thank your excellencies, the leadership of our great party, for giving us this platform.
“I want to assure your excellencies that we are not afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear. But fear that has set us free,” Chief Lulu-Briggs stated.
The APC, on the other hand, dismissed Obi and Kwankwaso’s remarks as fake and unrealistic.
The party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, told the press on Thursday that former President Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected, and the APC won in several states.
He said, “Talk is cheap, and they are poor students of history. Buhari was a sitting president and won re-election, and his party won under him. Maybe they are suffering from partial amnesia.
“Their party does not even have governorship candidates in at least 12 states and National Assembly candidates in a large number of constituencies. The presidential election is not won on empty rhetoric or wishful thinking.
We are confident that Nigerians will re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Meanwhile, Rivers State’s ADC has ridiculed FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s vow to win the state in next year’s election.
Wike stated on Thursday that the ADC and NDC would lose in Rivers State and Abuja.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Chizi Enyi, an associate of Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar’s ADC running mate, and State Publicity Secretary of the ADC in Tivers State, said Wike had misled all those who had promised him the limelight.
While suggesting that Wike had a violent streak, the Rivers ADC spokesman stated the party was unconcerned about his outbursts.
Enyi stated, “Wike has consistently been saying he will win Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, just to please Tinubu. And we all know that Wike is one man who will say one thing and do another.
“He is someone who has consistently said that the only thing he owes himself on earth is always to please Dr. Peter Odili. Today, where is Odili? Wike also believed that former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was God on earth when he was contesting for governor. Today, where is Jonathan?
“So, for President Bola Tinubu it will be the same thing, and when he (Tinubu) leaves office, he will be the way Odili and Jonathan are currently.”
“For the ADC in Rivers State, we are not disturbed because while we are busy campaigning, we have information that they are busy lobbying INEC, changing electoral officers, and all that.
“So, we are not disturbed. We know and we believe that from what we have seen and from what we have done, talking to people, and the personality of our candidates, we are confident that we will win the general election in Rivers State and Nigeria in general.
“Everybody knows that Wike is synonymous with violence. He always intimidates people, talks about one thing and does another. However, we are not disturbed because the 2027 general elections will be a thing of the past.
“We strongly believe that the Abubakar/Amaechi ticket the ADC is the party to beat. In Rivers State Amaechi did very well as governor, and his records are there for all to see,” he said.
