The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi, lack the Northern grassroots structures and regional support needed to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking at a public event in Kano Ganduje said Northern Nigeria remains the deciding factor in presidential elections and argued that neither opposition figure has the political strength to secure enough support in the region.
“The North is strategic in every presidential election in Nigeria. With due respect to our friends in the opposition, neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar can mobilise enough support in this region to defeat President Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
Ganduje maintained that both politicians lack the grassroots political machinery required to make significant electoral gains across the North, despite ongoing political realignments among opposition parties ahead of the next general election.
He also expressed concern over the increasing number of registered political parties in the country, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen the requirements for party registration.
According to him, only political parties with functional structures, well-defined ideologies and broad national presence should be recognised by the electoral commission.
The former APC national chairman said stricter registration standards would help strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process by ensuring that only viable political parties participate in elections.
His remarks come amid growing consultations and coalition talks among opposition politicians seeking to challenge President Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 gen
eral election.
