ABUJA, Nigeria — Senator Adams Oshiomhole has declared that the deep divisions and public disputes within Nigeria’s opposition camps will guarantee a smooth victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former Edo State Governor and APC National Chairman claimed that the ruling party is under no threat. He noted that prominent opposition figures are actively tearing each other down rather than confronting the administration. Oshiomhole singled out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, mockingly crowning him as the APC’s most effective campaign asset due to his ongoing political broadsides against Labour Party leader Peter Obi.
Opposition Internal Warfare Eases APC’s Path
Oshiomhole laid out a breakdown of the current friction among the opposition leaders, describing their public clashes as a political gift to President Bola Tinubu’s camp:
- Atiku’s Role: The Edo North Senator asserted that Atiku’s targeted criticisms of Peter Obi have inadvertently advanced the APC’s agenda, reducing the ruling party’s need for aggressive campaigning.
- The Multi-Sided Conflict: He highlighted that the friction is not limited to Atiku and Obi. He referenced ongoing verbal exchanges between Peter Obi and the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
- The Regional Label: Oshiomhole pointed out that Amaechi has publicly dismissed both Atiku and Obi as merely “regional players” while claiming to be the only true national figure—a claim Oshiomhole mocked by questioning Amaechi’s actual grassroots political strength at his local ward unit.
Predictable History of Electoral Defeat
Dismissing any immediate anxiety regarding potential mergers, alignments, or coalitions ahead of the 2027 polls, Oshiomhole stated that the APC remains completely unfazed.
He reminded viewers of political precedents, stating that the main opposition actors have a concrete history of losing to the APC under different scenarios. “Did Atiku not run with Obi before and contest against APC? Were they not defeated?” Oshiomhole remarked. He emphasized that the duo faced decisive defeats when they ran together on a single ticket in 2019, and suffered the exact same outcome when they ran on separate party platforms during the 2023 general elections. He concluded that whether they unite or remain fragmented, the APC will roundly defeat them again.
Political Analysts Project Strategic Exploitation
The open admission on national television has generated immediate backlash and widespread commentary among political observers.
Many independent commentators argue that Oshiomhole’s remarks explicitly reveal the APC’s overarching strategy for 2027: monitoring and capitalizing on Peter Obi’s support base while relying on Atiku’s camp to splinter the strength of the opposition. Critics from the opposition camps have counter-argued that the verbal attacks are proof that the APC views Obi as its primary threat, alleging that ruling party strategists are intentionally fanning the embers of discord between the key figures to prevent a united front from taking shape before the next election cycle.
