The presidency has made a bold claim that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi have no chance of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, stated this during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday, claiming that the president’s accomplishments will speak for him in future elections.
He also stated that the APC does not regard the coalition of opposition leaders floated on the African Democratic Congress’ (ADC) platform as a danger.
He said, “They are free to form alliances, but as far as the APC is concerned, we are not seeing them as any threat… If you merge Peter Obi and Atiku, there is no way the two of them can beat a Bola Tinubu and Shettima ticket. It is going to be impossible.”
Onanuga also criticised the coalition, claiming that “they are jumping the gun; it is not yet time for politicking.”
Tinubu promotes free speech and expression. He is not involved in the ADC’s battles. He wasn’t even in Nigeria when their internal troubles began.
When asked about the strength Atiku and Obi represent as members of the ADC, Onanuga responded, “Atiku has been in the race longer than Tinubu and Obi.
“He has tried several times to become president, but he always fails at the gate. If you look at the configuration and geography of our country, the last time Atiku came out, he was trying to whip up the sentiment of ‘I’m your son,’ and the South rejected him. If you have an Obi that you want to use as your running mate, that fact doesn’t mean you will get the exact votes you would get when he vied for president.”
“Tinubu is doing a lot of good for the North. In terms of appointments, he has appointed people from the Northwest and Northeast into good positions, and I think in politics, a good turn deserves a response from people who are beneficiaries of Tinubu’s government.
“There is a lot of noise all over the place, and it doesn’t tally with the reality on the ground. People are benefitting from the Tinubu-led government, and at the right time, Tinubu will tap into that — people under him have enjoyed it.”
