…Says opposition disunity has handed Tinubu advantage
ABUJA — Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said Peter Obi’s decision to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) effectively ended his chances of winning the 2027 presidential election.
Fayose said Obi and other opposition politicians weakened their collective chances against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by abandoning the ADC platform and pursuing separate political paths.
He made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on TVC News’ Politics Tonight, where he assessed the opposition’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Fayose, the opposition had the potential to mount a formidable challenge against the APC when its major figures were united under the ADC, but that opportunity was lost when Obi left the coalition.
“When they were all together in ADC, I would tell anybody that they will make an impact. The day Obi left ADC for NDC, that day Obi lost,” he said.
Fayose, however, acknowledged Obi’s contributions to Nigeria, describing him as “a fantastic Nigerian who has made his marks, who has shown that things can get better.”
He argued that Obi’s personal qualities would not be enough to overcome the consequences of opposition disunity.
“But when opposition, when they don’t come together, they will continue to lose,” Fayose said.
The former governor also suggested that it was now too late for the opposition politicians to reverse their decisions and reunite ahead of the election.
“It’s too late now. INEC has accredited everybody. Even if you say you are not doing again, you’re on your own,” he said.
“You have put your feet in the water. You can’t get out. You have gotten wet already,” he added.
Tinubu has advantage in South-West
Assessing President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term, Fayose said the political calculation in the South-West currently favoured the President.
He attributed the advantage partly to the support of prominent political figures in the region and the voting pattern recorded during the 2023 presidential election.
Fayose projected that Tinubu could secure close to four million votes from the region.
“In the West alone, Tinubu will get close to about four million votes,” he said.
“When you look at the pattern of the last election, Tinubu will win this election close to about 65 per cent,” he added.
‘Vote-buying is a systemic problem’
Fayose also dismissed attempts to blame a single political party for alleged vote-buying during the recent Osun State governorship election.
He said the alleged practice involved supporters of different political parties, including the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party.
“It’s mere desperation. Mere desperation,” he said.
Fayose added that arrests made during the election indicated that alleged vote-buying was not limited to one political camp.
“The two sides clearly, going by what we saw on television on Saturday, police arrested the two sides sharing money. So don’t come and tell me they are saints both ways,” he said.
He described electoral malpractice as a systemic problem requiring collective action from political parties, candidates, security agencies, electoral authorities and voters.
“We have a lot to put right. It’s the system. It’s systemic. It is a problem that has to be addressed,” Fayose said.
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