2027 Presidency: APC Says Obi, Atiku and Other Opposition Figures Cannot Match Tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the electoral prospects of Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Donald Duke and Seyi Makinde ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that none of them can match President Bola Tinubu’s record in office.

The party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, made the assertion on Thursday in Abuja while receiving members of the Forum of APC House of Representatives Aspirants, led by Danjuma Mohammed, at the APC national secretariat.

The four politicians are linked in the report to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and Allied People’s Movement (APM), respectively.

According to Yilwatda, the APC has a stronger presidential candidate because of what he described as Tinubu’s achievements in governance and institutional development.

“No political party, as it stands today, has a more credible candidate than President Bola Tinubu. We have facts, we have records that if we put them vis-à-vis any other candidate that is on this ballot, none matches our own candidate. None. I mean, none,” the APC chairman declared.

He insisted that a side-by-side assessment of the records of previous presidents and other contenders would demonstrate Tinubu’s superiority, particularly in building institutions.

Tinubu’s Projects Compared With Previous Administrations

Yilwatda questioned the delivery of road infrastructure under the Obasanjo administration, when Atiku served in government, citing a N300 billion road budget.

He challenged those who disagreed with him to identify a 500-kilometre road constructed with the funds, claiming that the administration’s expenditure did not produce identifiable results on the scale he expected.

“We were here live. When the president gave road projects of over N300 billion, when another person was the Minister of Works, we couldn’t find even the road that was patched with that budget. We are struggling to find the roads,” he said.

In contrast, he argued that Tinubu’s government had made significant progress on major road projects within three years.

He cited the Abuja-Kaduna highway, the extension towards Kano, the Trans-Sahara Superhighway and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as examples of ongoing infrastructure development.

Yilwatda said the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road project was nearing completion, while work on the Trans-Sahara Superhighway had reached about 30 to 40 per cent.

“We’ve done almost 30, 40 per cent of that one. Tell me which president has done that much? And that span alone is over 1,400 kilometres of roads. Just that span alone, before you take the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway,” he stated.

He also defended the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, saying the project would support fertiliser production, CNG use, household gas supply and electricity generation for homes and industries.

Yilwatda asked critics to consider the broader economic benefits of the infrastructure projects before concluding that the president had underperformed.

APC Chairman Faults Opposition Criticism of Student Loans

The APC leader also took aim at critics of the federal student loan programme, particularly those who have questioned the N20,000 monthly upkeep payment or advocated scrapping the scheme.

He said such criticism failed to recognise the economic realities facing ordinary Nigerians and students from low-income families.

“They don’t know the value of N20,000 to an ordinary man on the streets,” he said.

Yilwatda, a former university lecturer, said he had witnessed students abandon their education because they could not afford school fees.

To illustrate the potential impact of the allowance, he recounted the story of a student who saved part of the N20,000 payment, bought a second-hand refrigerator and began selling iced fish to other students.

“That’s how that N20,000 is building homes, and somebody is saying that when he comes, the first thing he would do is scrap it,” he said.

He further criticised politicians whose institutions charge millions of naira in tuition fees but who, according to him, dismiss the student support provided by the government.

“Meanwhile, even students in those institutions have access to student loans. So, we are supporting their own universities too,” he added.

Former PDP Aspirants Rally Behind Tinubu and Shettima

Speaking earlier, Mohammed said the forum was established in 2022 under the PDP to bring together House of Representatives aspirants who lost their party primaries.

He explained that the group initially mobilised support for Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, before political developments prompted many members to move to the APC.

Mohammed said the forum now supports Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s bid for a second term.

He added that the organisation has members across Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies and is not seeking to operate as a rival structure within the ruling party.

The forum also requested APC backing for the production and nationwide distribution of campaign materials in major local languages and different media formats. Mohammed proposed political conferences in each of the six geopolitical zones to promote the initiative.

“We finally believe that united aspirants constitute a formidable political force,” he said.

Yilwatda Urges Unity Ahead of 2027

Yilwatda assured the aspirants that the APC would work with them through the party’s existing directorate, promising to connect the group with the appropriate officials so activities could commence.

He urged members not to become discouraged by electoral losses, recounting his unsuccessful governorship contest in Plateau State and his subsequent defeat at the Supreme Court.

The chairman said he continued serving the party after the setbacks rather than complaining about the outcome.

He also highlighted the APC’s organisational capacity, claiming that it had more than 261,000 executive members nationwide.

According to him, the party intends to turn its numerical strength into electoral gains through cooperation between existing party structures and the forum.

“Our party has over 261,000 Exco. Just executive members of the party, not to talk of members. We want to convert those numbers to victory, and we need to form that partnership. Partner with us, work with us, and victory is sure for all of us,” Yilwatda said.

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