A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, has challenged opposition political parties to demonstrate their readiness for the 2027 general elections by building structures and fielding credible candidates across the country.
Oladejo said the growing political rhetoric and alliances among opposition parties must be matched by grassroots organisation and participation in elections at all levels.
He specifically alleged that the African Democratic Congress (ADC), associated with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has no governorship candidate in eight states, while the New Democratic Congress (NDC), associated with Peter Obi, has no governorship candidate in 12 states.
He questioned how parties aspiring to win the presidency could achieve that objective without establishing sufficient political structures across the states.
According to him, the absence of governorship candidates in several states raises questions about the parties’ organisation, grassroots acceptance, and confidence in their political platforms.
Oladejo said, “A party that aspires to win the presidency must first demonstrate that it has a functioning political structure capable of competing across the federation.”
He maintained that elections could not be won solely through social media campaigns, press conferences, television appearances, political hashtags or alliances among politicians in Abuja.
Rather, he said victory depended on candidates, party structures, mobilisation and votes at the grassroots.
“Elections are not won on social media. They are won by people, structures, candidates, organisation, mobilisation and votes,” he said.
The APC chieftain said presidential elections were closely linked to elections at the state and constituency levels because the same electorate votes for candidates across different positions.
He said governorship and other candidates helped parties mobilise voters, establish polling-unit structures, identify supporters and maintain a presence within communities.
Oladejo therefore questioned the ability of opposition parties to build the political infrastructure required for a presidential victory when they were unable to field governorship candidates in several states.
He also challenged members of the opposition parties to demonstrate confidence in their platforms by seeking elective offices under their banners.
“If the ADC and NDC represent such attractive political alternatives, why are their members not scrambling to contest under their banners?” he asked.
He warned political analysts against equating social media popularity with electoral strength, noting that Nigeria’s electorate extended beyond platforms such as X, Facebook and WhatsApp to wards, polling units, markets, streets, villages and communities.
According to him, political parties need polling-unit agents, ward coordinators, mobilisation teams, canvassers and credible candidates capable of establishing direct relationships with voters.
He said, “If you cannot produce candidates, it becomes difficult to convince Nigerians that you can produce a government.”
Oladejo further urged opposition parties not to assume that public dissatisfaction with the government would automatically translate into votes for their candidates.
He noted that there was a distinction between being dissatisfied with an incumbent administration and being sufficiently convinced by an opposition party to vote for it.
While warning that opposition parties might rely on alliances, public dissatisfaction and anti-incumbency ahead of 2027, he said such factors did not guarantee electoral victory without adequate organisation.
He also cautioned opposition parties against attributing a possible electoral defeat solely to alleged rigging or manipulation.
Oladejo, however, acknowledged that genuine electoral irregularities should be challenged through appropriate legal and constitutional channels.
He said political parties should also be prepared to examine their own shortcomings, including inadequate organisation, weak structures, poor candidate selection and limited grassroots presence.
The APC chieftain cautioned his party against complacency, stressing that incumbency did not guarantee electoral victory.
He urged the APC to continue strengthening its structures, engage with Nigerians, defend its record, address areas requiring improvement and field credible candidates.
“Every election must be earned,” he said, adding that the electorate remained sovereign.
Oladejo said the 2027 elections would ultimately determine whether the opposition parties’ growing political confidence was backed by sufficient organisation and grassroots support.
He challenged them to “contest everywhere you can, produce credible candidates, build your structures, mobilise your supporters, convince Nigerians and earn their votes.”
He added that political alliances and rhetoric would not automatically translate into electoral victory, arguing that the winning party would be the one capable of transforming “aspiration into organisation, organisation into mobilisation and mobilisation into votes.”
He concluded: “You cannot win a contest you are not prepared to enter.”
