Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said Peter Obi’s decision to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition has significantly weakened his chances of winning the 2027 presidential election.
Fayose made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on TVC News’ Politics Tonight, where he assessed the opposition’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the former governor, major opposition figures had a stronger chance of challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) when they were united under the ADC platform. He argued that Obi’s departure from the coalition weakened the opposition’s collective strength.
“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,” Fayose said.
Fayose, however, acknowledged Obi’s contributions to Nigeria, describing the former Anambra State governor as a “fantastic Nigerian” who has demonstrated that things can improve.
He argued that Obi’s personal qualities would not be enough to overcome the disadvantage created by opposition disunity.
“But when opposition, when they don’t come together, they will continue to lose,” he said.
The former governor also suggested that it was now too late for opposition politicians to reverse their decisions and reunite ahead of the election.
“It’s too late now. INEC has accredited everybody. Even if you say you are not doing again, you’re on your own,” Fayose said.
He added: “You have put your feet in the water. You can’t get out. You have gotten wet already.”
Fayose Says Tinubu Has South-West Advantage
Assessing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term, Fayose said the political calculations in the South-West currently favour the President.
He attributed this partly to the support of prominent political figures in the region and the voting pattern recorded during the 2023 presidential election.
Fayose projected that Tinubu could secure close to four million votes from the South-West.
“In the West alone, Tinubu will get close to about four million votes,” he said.
He further predicted that Tinubu could win close to 65 per cent of the vote based on the pattern recorded in the previous election.
“When you look at the pattern of the last election, Tinubu will win this election close to about 65 per cent,” Fayose added.
Fayose: Vote-Buying Is a Systemic Problem
Fayose also rejected attempts to blame a single political party for alleged vote-buying during the recent Osun State governorship election.
He said the alleged practice involved supporters of different political parties, including the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party.
Describing the situation as an act of desperation, Fayose said arrests made during the election showed that alleged vote-buying was not restricted to one political camp.
“The two sides clearly, going by what we saw on television on Saturday, police arrested the two sides sharing money. So don’t come and tell me they are saints both ways,” he said.
The former governor described electoral malpractice as a systemic problem that requires collective action from political parties, candidates, security agencies, electoral authorities and voters.
“We have a lot to put right. It’s the system. It’s systemic. It is a problem that has to be addressed,” Fayose said.
Source: TVC News
