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Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has questioned the electoral prospects of some presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election, arguing that not all those on the ballot are genuinely aiming to win.
Olayinka made the assessment on Arise News while discussing the emerging political landscape ahead of the presidential contest.
He noted that Nigeria has 19 presidential candidates expected to contest the election but argued that the number does not necessarily indicate that all the candidates have a realistic ambition of securing victory.
“So it is not everybody that contests elections that wants to win. There are people that contest elections just to register their presence,” he said.
Olayinka cited the performance of African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in the 2023 election as an example.
“For instance, the candidate of AAC, Omoyele Sowore, had 14,600 votes in 2023. How would that person win the election next year? They know that they cannot win. They are just contesting,” he said.
He also questioned the chances of the party associated with former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, arguing that electoral victory would require a stronger grassroots structure.
“Even NDC, the party of Peter Obi, they know they cannot win the election. They are just contesting to try to register their presence,” Olayinka said.
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According to him, a presidential candidate needs a strong political structure across the country to effectively mobilise voters and manage the electoral process.
He pointed to the absence of governorship candidates in several states as one of the challenges facing some political parties.
“You don’t have a governorship candidate in 15 states. You only have it in 13. There was an election in Ekiti and Osun recently. NDC did not field candidates,” he said.
Olayinka argued that parties also needed sufficient personnel at polling units to effectively canvass and protect their votes on election day.
“In Nigeria today, there are 176,846 polling units. To make good impression on election day, you need at least five people to manage each polling unit for you,” he said.
He added that presidential elections could not be won through publicity and rhetoric alone, stressing the importance of a functioning grassroots political structure.
“It is not about making noise,” Olayinka said.
