As Nigerians continue to battle unfriendly cost of living, the political arena is heating up for the 2027 election
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who came into power in 2023, now faces growing opposition from influential political figures seeking to block his bid for a second term
In light of this, one of the biggest questions on the lips of most Nigerians is, will Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) be re-elected as president? …CONTINUE READING
Opposition figures are plotting to stop President Tinubu from winning the 2027 election.Source: Facebook
TheTalk.NG presents the list of seven established Nigerian politicians who could tackle Tinubu at the polls.
Likely Tinubu’s opponents in 2027 election
Goodluck Jonathan
The popularity rating of former President Goodluck Jonathan has soared since he was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 due to certain factors.
In December 2024, the Peoples Democratic Party asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election on its platform.Source: Getty Images
It is, therefore, believed that the north may back him more than any other person for this singular reason. Indeed, many people had met him over this, but he has refused to give any concrete answer.
Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has earned the moniker as Nigeria’s veteran presidential election contestant. He has contested unsuccessfully for the president of Nigeria at six different election cycles: 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023.
Atiku’s closest chance to become president was in 2019 and 2023. He came to a close second in 2023 with a total of 6,984,520 votes behind the incumbent President Tinubu, who scored 8,794,726 votes, the lowest in contemporary history that any president ever polled.
But there are forces in the opposition coalition who feel that Atiku has had his time and that others have served him long enough. His ambition to be president is largely believed to be responsible for the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Many of the governors and other stakeholders do not want to work hard to put the party in shape, only for Atiku to come and ‘grab’ the ticket again.
Besides, a majority of them still believe in the zoning principle and therefore hold the view that power must remain in the south, a decision that is evidently counter to Atiku’s interest.
Rabiu Kwankwaso
A former minister of defence and two-term governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is unable to unsettle any serious political applecart in any part of the country beyond Kano.
Though he has established himself as the political leader of Kano state with grassroots support, his control of the state is currently shaky.
Kwankwaso, leader of Kwankwasiyya, a grassroots political movement, which recently attracted membership of 24 retired military officers of Kano origin, has always had an eye on the presidency.
He contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and came a distant fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
As it is, his political future is not clear. He has also not identified with the current opposition coalition.
Bukola Saraki
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki is a formidable force in Kwara, and a two-term governor of the state.
With a good knowledge of national politics, Saraki, who had also been the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, contested the May 2022 presidential primary of the PDP and came third after Atiku and Nyesom Wike.
Despite losing Kwara State to the APC in the 2019 elections, Saraki has remained a fairly-popular figure in Nigeria. However, he has not indicated interest in running in 2027.
Peter Obi
A two-term former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi took the political scene by storm when he contested alongside President Tinubu and Atiku in 2023. He, however, came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). He was closer to Atiku than he was to Tinubu in that election.
Obi, though enjoyed goodwill and mass appeal from the youth population, who constitute a good percentage of the voting population, his presidential voyage was considered a misadventure by many of the political strategists, who still believed that had he waited behind to work with Atiku, the ‘Emi lo kan’ catchphrase would have remained a pipe dream.
Obi is believed to be back in the race, but it is not clear if he still enjoys the same goodwill as he did in 2023 among the youths. It is also not certain if the north would support any southerner who is constitutionally entitled to two terms of eight years after Tinubu’s four years.
Nasir El-Rufai
Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, is among the strong members of the opposition coalition seeking to unseat President Tinubu in 2027.
Though he has not in any way indicated interest in the 2027 presidential election, he is ready to provide support to unseat Tinubu. Many, however, believe that El-Rufai is still nursing an ambition to pair with a southern candidate, knowing that such a running mate may ultimately inherit the presidency afterwards.
Rotimi Amaechi
One of the politicians who has served the longest in Nigeria’s history is Rotimi Amaechi.
A former speaker of Rivers state house of assembly, two-term governor of Rivers state and erstwhile minister of transportation for eight years, Amaechi comes to the race with requisite experience.