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There was respite for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the Supreme Court vacation of the order on ADC status quo antebellum. This means that the David Mark-led leadership will be restored while the case at the Federal High Court continues. With this ruling the defiant ADC is still in contention as far as the 2027 poll is concerned. Therefore, the road to 2027 election seasons is bound to be bumpy. It will also be marked with great anxiety, apprehension and uncertainty.
The next year’s election is going to be a titanic battle between the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and whoever emerges the opposition candidate. Considering the not too enthusiastic performance of the current administration amidst lofty promises, the 2027 election is not going to be easy. It is one election that will be difficult for the ruling party and the opposition.
That is why Nigerians are calling for a transparent, honest and truly independent electoral umpire to supervise the poll. The current chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has vowed to conduct the most credible election in Nigerian history. Some people believed him until recently when he started behaving like a player in a football team instead of being just the referee. If Nigerians have no confidence in the umpire, the 2027 polls will have to face so many hurdles.
I don’t really know if this is why the federal government has proposed about N135.22billion to settle post-election disputes. Nigerians have cried foul over the humongous amount set aside for post-election litigation in a country where 140 million people are grappling in poverty. This is also happening in a country where insecurity is fast threatening our sovereignty and corporate existence.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is daily mobilizing supporters for landslide victory in the 2027 polls, the same cannot be said of the opposition which has not been able to narrow its flag bearer ahead of the election season has really not shown much aggression to wrest power from the Jagaban who recently reiterated his stubbornness to holding power beyond 2027 despite the campaign of his enemies using insecurity as an excuse to push him aside. He vowed that he would win his second term in office when he collected his nomination form.
The APC is boasting of having 31 governors and states under its firm control as well as many lawmakers in the National Assembly. The importance of structure cannot be over-emphasized in an election. It is very vital in electoral victory. It helps to guard electoral victory. With 31 states in its kitty, the APC has the structure to win the 2027 polls. But things are not always like that. The APC has renewed hope ambassadors all other the country. It also has the City Boys and City Girls movements.
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Despite having most of the states in 2015, the PDP was defeated by the then struggling but combative and aggressive APC opposition. In election, it is not yet over until it is over. In politics anything can happen. The combativeness and aggressiveness in APC of then is what is lacking in the present ADC and indeed the entire opposition. Perhaps the ADC should learn one or two lessons from the APC in combative and aggressive opposition. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, life is about imitation. Human beings copied from nature. People learn and copy from other people.
The days ahead will be tough to all the parties to the 2027 elections, especially the APC and the ADC or whichever party emerges as the main opposition. The battle line will be drawn immediately the opposition candidate emerges. This is perhaps the time Nigerians await with great trepidation because the 2027 election holds a lot of promise to Nigerians. While the APC candidate for the poll is settled, the opposition is still foot-dragging about its candidate.
The choice of the opposition may even determine the outcome of the poll without even going to the poll. I say this because the candidate of the opposition matters most in this election. Like I have said before, if the opposition repeats the mistake of 2023, President Bola Tinubu’s second term is very much assured. With almost four big presidential candidates in its kitty, how the opposition wriggles out of this political dilemma will go a long way in determining how far they can go in the election.
The choice may not be as easy as some people think or believe. It is going to be a very difficult one. It is a testy time for the opposition. It is also a moment of truth. Let them tell themselves the truth and come up with a candidate who can square up with the incumbent Jagaban. Above all, electoral integrity should matter most in all our calculations to 2027. Without electoral integrity, everything concerning the poll will be a ruse. We will be wasting our time and energy if the election is not going to reflect the wishes of the Nigerian people, it the outcome will be compromised.
The ADC has much work to do towards making appreciable impact and winning the 2027 election. It is beyond rhetoric and slogans. It is about work, work and work. The opposition needs unity of purpose resilience and aggressiveness to really be in a position to really defeat the ruling APC. They should not be wasting time in naming their candidate for the 2027 polls. Time is running out. They should not be wasting time any longer. They should exhibit much commitment to their aspiration of wresting power from the APC. In politics, nothing is impossible. In the coming political battle, only the strongest party can win the election. The party with the best resonating messages can win the poll. Only the party with great appeal to women and youths can win the election.
