The Federal Government has dismissed claims by presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi and his running mate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, that President Bola Tinubu would be defeated in the 2027 general elections, insisting that the All Progressives Congress remains confident of retaining the Presidency.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, said the APC would win the presidential election as well as the governorship and other elective contests in Kaduna State, rejecting suggestions of growing opposition to the ruling party in the North.
Musa spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, hours after Obi and Kwankwaso told their supporters that they were prepared to resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 polls.
While Obi warned that voters would not allow their votes to be subverted at polling units, Kwankwaso argued that the APC could lose despite controlling more than 30 states, citing the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Musa, who was responding to a suggestion that voters in Kaduna might punish the APC and President Tinubu over the performance of the administration.
Rejecting the suggestion, Musa described the perceived rejection of the APC 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 whether the APC could lose Kaduna State in 2027, Musa said he was certain the party would win the state.
“I cannot say cannot lose. APC will win in Kaduna. That I know,” he said.
Asked if he was referring to the governorship election, the minister replied, “Definitely. Presidential, governorship, and all levels.”
Musa, who is from the North, was also asked about the reported growing sentiment against the APC and Tinubu in the region.
He dismissed the suggestion, saying some people were attempting to exploit public sentiments because they were dissatisfied with their current circumstances.
“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 minister defended Tinubu’s policies, saying the President had taken difficult decisions that would gradually produce results.
“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 said Nigerians would eventually appreciate the rationale behind some of the administration’s decisions, particularly its economic policies.
“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 concluded his argument with a firm prediction: “And I can tell you, APC will win.”
Obi, Kwankwaso
Earlier on Thursday, Obi and Kwankwaso assured supporters and party faithful that nobody would intimidate them or subvert their will at the polling booths during the general elections in 2027.
This is as Obi vowed that anyone who attempted to prevent votes from being counted in the poll would himself be counted.
He spoke during a Town Hall Meeting with voters tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria’ held in Port Harcourt.
Fielding questions from the supporters, Obi said it would be delusional for anyone to think that the 2027 election would easily be manipulated like that of 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, the NDC presidential candidate, contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, where he finished third behind Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates after securing 8,794,726 votes, the highest tally in the election, and meeting the constitutional requirement for victory.
He also won at least 25 per cent of the votes in 30 states, exceeding the constitutional threshold of 25 states.
Atiku came second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi polled 6,101,533 votes.
Despite the official declaration of the results, Obi alleged that the election was marred by manipulation and the intimidation of his loyalists, and he, alongside many of his supporters, has continued to maintain that he won Rivers State and the 2023 presidential election.
Obi declared that anyone plotting to manipulate the 2027 election would find it difficult to succeed.
He stated, “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.
“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,” Obi stated.
The NDC presidential candidate further said voters would resist any attempt to manipulate results through the INEC Result Viewing Portal, adding that multiple portals would be provided.
According to him, “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.”
The party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said Nigeria needs a committed, strong and energetic president capable of addressing the country’s challenges and meeting the needs of its citizens.
On his part, Kwankwaso urged Nigerians to make the right choice of leadership, noting that many of those seeking the presidency lacked the necessary experience to effectively govern the country.
He said: “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 noted that the ruling party would lose the election despite having 30 state governors, recalling that former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election even while in power.
He stated, “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.
“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.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the NDC in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, thanked the party and its members for showing resilience and patience at the meeting.
Lulu-Briggs said the party would transform the country into a nation that works, adding that Rivers supporters have the courage to work for the party.
“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,” Chief Lulu-Briggs stated.
APC reacts
However, the APC described Obi and Kwankwaso’s statement as cheap talk and wishful thinking.
The National Secretary of the party, Ajibola Basiru, who spoke with The PUNCH on Thursday, reminded both Obi and Kwankwaso that former President Muhammadu Buhari won his re-election while the APC also won in many states.
He said, “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.”
ADC dismisses Wike
Meanwhile, the ADC in Rivers State has dismissed FCT minister Nyesom Wike’s claim of winning the state in next year’s election.
Wike had on Thursday claimed that the ADC and NDC would lose in Rivers State and Abuja.
An ally of Rotimi Amaechi, the ADC running mate to Atiku Abubakar, and State Publicity Secretary of the ADC in Tivers State, Chizi Enyi, in an interview with The PUNCH, said Wike said Wike had betrayed all those who assured him to limelight.
While alleging that Wike had a penchant for violence, the Rivers ADC spokesman said the party was not perturbed by his rantings.
Enyi stated, “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.
“He is someone who has consistently said that the only thing he owes himself on earth is always to please Dr Peter Odili. Today where is Odili? Wike also believed that former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan is God on earth when he was contesting for governor. Today where is Jonathan?
“So, 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.”
“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.
“So, we are not disturbed. We know and we believe that from what we have seen and from the what we have done, talking to people and the personality of our candidates we are confident that we will win the general election in Rivers State and Nigeria in general.
“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,” he said. Punch
