Tinubu will defeat Atiku and Obi even if they unite to run – Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has predicted that 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.

Fayose made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, September 15. He argued that the opposition would face an even greater challenge if Atiku and Obi contested separately because their votes would be divided.

S Co“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,” Fayose said. 

He also predicted that the South-West would give Tinubu a margin of at least six million votes, while maintaining that he had no personal disagreement with either Atiku or Obi.

Fayose said a contest involving Atiku, Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso would divide votes across the country, drawing comparisons with the voting pattern in the 2023 presidential election. In that election, Tinubu was declared the winner with 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku received 6,984,520 and Obi polled 6,101,533.

Fayose also argued that the presidency should remain in southern Nigeria for eight years before returning to the North. “The reality today is this power is coming to the South, the South must do eight years,” he said. He described Tinubu as “the shortest point” through which presidential power could return to the North.

“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,” Fayose 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.”

Fayose, who was recently appointed chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency board by Tinubu, further predicted that the president would secure at least 12 million votes in the 2027 election. “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.

Fayose also argued that manipulating election results had become more difficult, saying: “To rig election now is very, very difficult.” He attributed his support for Tinubu partly to what he described as improvements in the economy and infrastructure under the current administration.

Fayose remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party but currently serves as chairman of the REA board under the APC-led federal government. He was also among supporters of the five PDP governors known as the G5 who opposed Atiku’s presidential bid ahead of the 2023 election.