JUST IN: 2027: Atiku, Obi Can’t Defeat Tinubu Says Kalu

The senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi or any other opposition candidate cannot defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Kalu said, “They can’t defeat President Tinubu in a free and fair election. The opposition parties are very weak and the APC is a moving train.”

The former Abia State governor, who spoke with journalists at the National Assembly lobby on Tuesday, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) already commands 15 million votes.

The 15 million votes the APC chieftain referenced, might as well be a veiled attempt to downplay the combined votes of over 14 million won by Atiku, Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso in the 2023 presidential election.

President Tinubu, who also contested that election, polled over eight million votes to win the election.

Atiku contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obi contested on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), while Kwankwaso contested on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

The three opposition heavyweights have now formed a working alliance on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The ruling party is reported to be uncomfortable with the working alliance among Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso, given their scores in the 2023 election.

But Kalu expressed confidence in Tinubu’s re-election prospects, insisting that the opposition is weak and lacking viable alternatives.

According to him, the APC’s growing membership base and nationwide acceptance have positioned the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

“Even in places that were not APC before, people are joining. We are rocking like a hurricane,” urging that political actors should focus on strengthening democratic institutions.

He charged the opposition camp to present credible policy alternatives, rather than engaging in what he described as unproductive criticism.

Kalu dismissed as “frivolous” allegations of partisanship leveled against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the opposition camp.

The lawmaker also rejected claims that INEC is biased towards the ruling APC, saying that such allegations are capable of damaging Nigeria’s democratic reputation.

“The APC as a party has nothing to do with INEC. INEC is an independent body, and we have a lot of respect for the chairman,” he said.

“People should take the electoral process and democracy seriously instead of de-marketing the country.”

The senator also rejected allegations that the ruling party is coercing politicians, particularly state governors, to defect to the APC.

According to him, political alignment remains a matter of personal decision rather than compulsion.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never begged anybody to leave his party or to join our party,” Kalu said. “If a governor decides to join APC, that is his business. When you come, we negotiate; if it is good, you stay; if not, you go your way. Nobody is forcing anybody.”