Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said President Bola Tinubu will defeat former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election, even if the two opposition figures unite to run.
Mr Fayose spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.
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He said the opposition would face an even greater challenge if Atiku and Mr Obi contested separately because their votes would be divided.
“A three-way horse, maybe I am not putting it right. Atiku is there, Obi is there. Even if they come together, this man will still defeat them. But let us say they don’t come together, too bad for them because this election will be balkanised,” he said.
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Mr Fayose also predicted that the South-west would give Mr Tinubu a margin of at least six million votes.
He said he had no personal disagreement with either Atiku or Mr Obi, but argued that the political realities ahead of the 2027 election would make it difficult for either of them to defeat Mr Tinubu.
He said a contest involving Atiku, Mr Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso would divide votes across the country, similar to the pattern seen in the 2023 presidential election.
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Mr Tinubu won the 2023 election with 8.7 million votes, ahead of Mr Atiku, who polled 6.9 million, and Mr Obi, who received 6.1 million votes.
‘Power must stay in South for eight years’
Mr Fayose argued that the presidency should remain in the South for eight years before power returns to the North.
“The reality today is this power is coming to the South, the South must do eight years,” he said.
He described Mr Tinubu as “the shortest point” through which power could return to the North after the current administration.
“If an Atiku comes in, he will be struggling to do eight years, if Obi comes in, he will want to say I will do eight years,” he said.
“May I say to you respectfully, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the shortest point to power going back to the North. Any Northerner contesting now is just contesting.”
Mr Fayose, who was recently appointed chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency board by Mr Tinubu, also expressed confidence that the president would secure at least 12 million votes in 2027.
“Unfortunately, you are not a politician. I am analysing based on my experience. You brought me to this place because you know that I knew a little about Nigeria. This politics is not a tea party,” he said.
He also argued that electoral manipulation had become more difficult.
“To rig election now is very, very difficult,” he said.
Why Fayose backs Tinubu
Mr Fayose attributed his prediction partly to what he described as improvements in the economy and infrastructure under Mr Tinubu.
According to him, the president inherited an economy that was in a critical condition after the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari but had since stabilised it.
“The president had stabilised an economy that was in a critical situation after the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
He also cited the unification of the foreign exchange market, which he said had made it easier for businesses to plan, as well as the student loan scheme and road projects.
READ ALSO: 2027: Shekarau, Shema, Geidam, Badaru, others form Tinubu’s reelection mobilisation group
Mr Fayose acknowledged that some Nigerians would disagree with his assessment of the administration’s performance, particularly on the economy and infrastructure.
The former Ekiti governor remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but is serving in the APC-led federal government.
He was one of the supporters of the five PDP governors known as the G5 who opposed Atiku’s presidential bid ahead of the 2023 election.
His appointment to the REA board by Mr Tinubu has also drawn criticism from opposition figures, who have questioned his support for the president. Mr Fayose has described his position as a product of political experience and what he considers political realism.
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