July 11, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
The Presidency has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will emerge victorious in the 2027 presidential election, dismissing the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, asserted that the President’s achievements will speak for themselves in the coming elections.
According to Onanuga, “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.”
He added that the APC doesn’t see the coalition of opposition politicians floated on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a threat.
“They are free to form alliances, but as far as the APC is concerned, we are not seeing them as any threat… They are jumping the gun; it is not yet time for politicking.”
Onanuga also questioned Atiku’s chances, citing his past electoral failures. “Atiku has been in the race more than Tinubu and Obi. He has tried several times to become president, but he always fails at the gate.”
On the potential alliance between Atiku and Obi, Onanuga noted, “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.”
The Special Adviser highlighted President Tinubu’s efforts in the North, stating, “Tinubu is doing a lot of good for the North.
In terms of appointments, he has appointed people from the North-West and North-East into good positions, and I think in politics, a good turn deserves a response from people who are beneficiaries of Tinubu’s government.”
Onanuga concluded that despite the noise surrounding the opposition, “people are benefitting from the Tinubu-led government, and at the right time, Tinubu will tap into that — people under him have enjoyed.”
