Obi Risks 2027 Defeat Without Opposition Unity – Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has warned that Peter Obi risks losing the 2027 presidential election unless opposition parties unite to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fayose stated this during an interview on TVC News’ Politics Tonight, on Tuesday, August 18, where he assessed the chances of opposition parties and their presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 election.

The former governor said the emergence of multiple contenders from the opposition had weakened their chances, recalling his position ahead of the 2023 election that a three-horse race would favour the ruling party.

“You see, in 2023 I said the moment you have three-horse race in one election, it has repeated itself again,” Fayose said.

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He argued that opposition politicians had previously demonstrated that they could defeat a dominant ruling party when they worked together, citing the coalition that eventually helped the APC defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election.

Fayose said the decision by some opposition politicians to abandon the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and move to other platforms had weakened the prospect of presenting a united challenge to the APC.

“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 also praised Obi for his performance in the 2023 presidential election but expressed concern that the former Anambra State governor’s decision to leave the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) could affect his chances in 2027.

“Obi was a fantastic Nigerian who has made his marks, who has shown that things can get better,” Fayose said.

“But when opposition, when they don’t come together, they will continue to lose.”

The former governor said Obi’s political strategy was already familiar to his opponents following the 2023 election and suggested that the APC would be better prepared for his challenge in 2027.

“Everybody has seen Obi’s strategy,” Fayose said.

He further argued that Obi might have been better positioned had he chosen not to contest the 2027 election rather than leave the opposition coalition.

Fayose also dismissed the possibility of a last-minute withdrawal by some opposition candidates, saying the electoral process had already advanced too far.

“It’s too late now,” he said. “INEC has accredited everybody. Even if you say you are not doing again, you’re on your own.”

“You have put your feet in the water. You can’t get out. You have gotten wet already,” he added.

Turning to the South-West, Fayose said the political arithmetic currently favoured President Bola Tinubu, particularly following support declared for him by political leaders in the region.

He said the voting pattern from the 2023 presidential election suggested that the South-West could give Tinubu a significant advantage in 2027.

Fayose based his projection on the combined voting strength of the region and the support he said Tinubu could receive from key political actors.

“In the West alone, Tinubu will get close to about four million votes,” he said.

He further projected that Tinubu could win the 2027 presidential election with about 65 per cent of the votes if the current political alignment remained unchanged.

“When you look at the pattern of the last election, Tinubu will win this election close to about 65%,” Fayose said.