Isaac Samuel
The Presidency has expressed confidence that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, will be unable to replicate his 2023 electoral performance in the 2027 general election,
insisting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has built a strong record that positions it favourably for re-election.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this during an interview on Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, where he dismissed suggestions that Obi poses a political threat to the Tinubu administration.
According to Dare, the Federal Government remains focused on governance and delivering on its campaign promises rather than worrying about political opponents.
“This government is not afraid of Peter Obi. He is not a nightmare to our government. Maybe before, Peter Obi was a threat, but right now, he is no threat because we stand on the solid ground of performance,” Dare said.
He maintained that the administration had identified Nigeria’s critical challenges and continued to implement policies and programmes aimed at addressing them.
“We have been able to interrogate the problems of this country. Decisions are being taken, policies are being unfolded across the country, and we have a scorecard to show,” he added.
The presidential aide also criticised Obi’s public comments, arguing that many of his reactions and interviews lacked substance and clear direction.
“Peter Obi is not a nightmare. Maybe you replace nightmare with nuisance because if you see some of his reactions, they are very pedantic. Sometimes you wonder. You listen to some of his interviews, ask him a question, and he goes in a roundabout direction that does not make sense,” Dare said.
Speaking on the 2027 presidential election, Dare said Obi would not be able to repeat his 2023 performance in Lagos, where he defeated Tinubu in the presidential election.
“Peter Obi defeated President Tinubu in Lagos in 2023. This is 2026; it can’t happen again,” he said.
Recall that Obi recorded one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 presidential election by defeating then-All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu in Lagos State, widely regarded as Tinubu’s political stronghold.
The then Labour Party candidate polled 582,454 votes, representing 45.81 per cent of the votes cast, while Tinubu secured 572,606 votes, or 45.04 per cent, winning by a margin of fewer than 10,000 votes.
Although Obi’s victory in Lagos was seen as a major political upset, Tinubu went on to win the presidential election with 8,794,726 votes.
Obi finished third with 6,101,533 votes after winning 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
