By Adeola Kunle
The Federal Government has dismissed predictions by Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that President Bola Tinubu can be defeated in the 2027 general elections.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) remained confident of retaining the presidency and winning other major elective positions, including the governorship of Kaduna State.
Musa made the position known on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shortly after Obi and Kwankwaso addressed supporters about their readiness to resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 elections.
Obi had warned that Nigerians would no longer tolerate intimidation or interference with their votes at polling units. Kwankwaso, on the other hand, argued that controlling more than 30 states would not guarantee victory for the APC, pointing to the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election despite being in office.
Responding to suggestions that voters in Kaduna could punish the APC and Tinubu over the administration’s performance, Musa described claims of widespread rejection of the ruling party in the North as 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.
Asked specifically whether the APC could lose Kaduna in 2027, the minister was unequivocal in his response.
“I cannot say cannot lose. APC will win in Kaduna. That I know,” Musa stated.
When asked whether his prediction covered the governorship election as well as the presidential contest, he replied, “Definitely. Presidential, governorship, and all levels.”
Musa, who is from the North, also rejected suggestions that opposition to Tinubu and the APC was growing across the region. According to him, some individuals were using public dissatisfaction to stir up negative sentiments against the governing party.
“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 Defence Minister further defended Tinubu’s economic policies, arguing that the administration had made difficult decisions whose effects would become clearer over time.
“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 added that Nigerians would eventually understand the reasons behind some of the government’s decisions, particularly those concerning the economy.
“I mean, you can look at the economy and all these things, we’re coming in gradually. At a time, people will now realise that, look, this thing we thought was like this, this is actually how it’s going,” he said.
Musa ended his defence of the ruling party with a firm prediction: “And I can tell you, APC will win.”
Obi: 2027 Election Will Not Be Easily Manipulated
Earlier on Thursday, Obi and Kwankwaso had told supporters that they would not be intimidated at polling stations during the 2027 elections.
Obi spoke at a town hall meeting with voters in Port Harcourt tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria,” where he warned that anyone attempting to prevent votes from being counted would face resistance.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said it would be unrealistic for anyone to assume that the 2027 election could be manipulated as easily as he alleged happened in 2023.
“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 said.
Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party and finished third behind Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu was declared winner after defeating 17 other candidates with 8,794,726 votes. He also secured at least 25 per cent of the votes in 30 states, satisfying the constitutional requirement for victory.
Atiku finished second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi received 6,101,533 votes.
Although the official results were declared, Obi alleged that the 2023 election was affected by manipulation and intimidation of his supporters. He and many of his supporters have also maintained that he won Rivers State and the presidential election.
On the 2027 contest, Obi said attempts to interfere with the process would face greater resistance.
“No one will intimidate us again at the polling booth. If you get to any polling booth today, the highest number of officials you see at any polling booth is five.
“The average number of voters is 40 to 50. There’s no way five people will intimidate 50 people. And we will make sure we have coordination to ensure that such intimidation does not arise.
“The people who are in these polling booths are from families that are suffering from hunger. Some of the policemen’s children are not in school. All they want is for you to defend and demand that your vote must count,” he stated.
Obi also expressed concern about possible manipulation through the INEC Result Viewing Portal, popularly known as IReV, saying opposition forces would be prepared to respond to technical problems.
“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,” he said.
He added that multiple IReV platforms would be available to address possible network failures.
“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.”
Kwankwaso Challenges APC’s Electoral Strength
Kwankwaso said Nigeria needed a strong, energetic and committed president capable of confronting the country’s challenges and responding to the needs of its citizens.
He urged voters to be careful in choosing the next president, arguing that some of the individuals seeking the nation’s highest office lacked the experience required to govern effectively.
“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 said.
He maintained that the APC could lose the 2027 election despite having more than 30 governors, citing Jonathan’s 2015 defeat as evidence that incumbency does not automatically guarantee victory.
“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,” he said.
Kwankwaso further criticised the performance of some APC governors, particularly in the North, claiming that their records could make campaigning difficult for them.
“By the grace of God, all of them (governors), especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend.
“The trend is 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, did absolutely nothing,” he said.
NDC Rivers Candidate Promises Change
The NDC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, thanked the party’s leadership and supporters for their resilience and patience.
Lulu-Briggs said the party was committed to building a Nigeria that works and expressed confidence in the determination of its supporters in Rivers State.
“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,” he said.
APC Dismisses Opposition Predictions
The APC rejected the claims made by Obi and Kwankwaso, describing them as empty rhetoric and wishful thinking.
The party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, said both opposition figures appeared to be overlooking Nigeria’s political history.
Basiru pointed to Buhari’s re-election as president and the APC’s victories in several states as evidence that incumbency could produce electoral success.
“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. Presidential election is not won on empty rhetoric or wishful thinking. We are confident that Nigerians will re elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Rivers ADC Rejects Wike’s Victory Claim
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State rejected a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the party and the NDC would lose in Rivers State and Abuja in the next election.
ADC State Publicity Secretary in Rivers State, Chizi Enyi, who is an ally of Rotimi Amaechi, criticised Wike’s position during an interview with The PUNCH.
Enyi accused the FCT minister of turning against individuals who had previously helped him rise politically and alleged that Wike had a history of using intimidation and violence in politics.
“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 does another,” Enyi said.
He recalled Wike’s past political relationships with Peter Odili and Goodluck Jonathan, arguing that circumstances had changed for both men after leaving political office.
“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,” he added.
Enyi also alleged that while the ADC was campaigning, individuals within the opposing camp were lobbying the Independent National Electoral Commission and seeking changes involving electoral officers.
“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,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the ADC would perform strongly in Rivers State and across Nigeria, citing its campaign efforts and the profile of its candidates.
“Everybody knows that Wike is synonymous with violence. He always intimidate people, talks one thing and does another. However we are not disturbed because the 2027 general elections Wike 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,” Enyi stated.
Adeola Kunle
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