The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims by Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso that President Bola Tinubu can be defeated in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the ruling party remains confident of retaining power.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, said the APC would win the presidential, governorship and other elections in Kaduna State, rejecting claims of growing opposition to the party in the North.
Musa spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shortly after Obi and Kwankwaso told supporters in Port Harcourt that they were prepared to resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 election.
Asked whether the APC could lose Kaduna, Musa said, “APC will win in Kaduna. That I know.”
Pressed on whether his prediction covered the governorship and presidential elections, he replied, “Definitely. Presidential, governorship, and all levels.”
Musa also rejected suggestions that northern voters were turning against the APC and defended Tinubu’s economic policies, saying the President had taken “very painful decisions” whose benefits would become clearer over time.
“I can tell you, APC will win,” the minister declared.
Earlier, Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, told supporters that voters would not allow their ballots to be subverted at polling units, insisting that attempts to manipulate the 2027 election would face resistance.
Kwankwaso, Obi’s running mate, warned against assuming that control of state governments guaranteed victory at the presidential level, citing the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 despite being the incumbent.
The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, also dismissed the opposition’s claims as “cheap talk” and “wishful thinking”, reminding Obi and Kwankwaso that Muhammadu Buhari won re-election as a sitting President in 2019.
“Presidential election is not won on empty rhetoric or wishful thinking. We are confident that Nigerians will re elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Basiru said.
