The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed four leading opposition presidential hopefuls as unfit to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, saying none of them can match the president on the basis of records. APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda named Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Donald Duke of the People's Redemption Party (PRP), and Seyi Makinde of the Allied People's Movement (APM) as the four candidates he believes pose no serious threat to the incumbent.
APC Chairman Challenges Opposition to Compare Records
Yilwatda made the remarks on Wednesday, October 14, while receiving the Forum of APC House of Representatives Aspirants, led by Danjuma Mohammed, at the party's national secretariat in Abuja. The chairman challenged anyone to place the opposition candidates' records beside Tinubu's and see how they fare.
"Show the scorecard of other presidents, of other candidates, and then we now put them side by side Mr President; none of them comes close to matching Mr President, even in terms of building institutions," he said.
APC Calls Out Atiku's Road Record
Yilwatda singled out Atiku Abubakar for particular criticism, pointing to the period when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo served as president with Atiku as vice president. He argued that Nigerians cannot identify a single road built under a N300 billion road budget that was released during that administration.
The APC chairman also turned his attention to Atiku's reported position on the Federal Government's student loan scheme, which Atiku has said he would abolish if he wins the presidency. Yilwatda criticised the pledge, framing it as evidence that the opposition lacks a constructive alternative to the current administration's policies.
APC Attacks Atiku Over Student Loan Stance
The student loan programme, introduced under President Tinubu, is designed to provide interest-free loans to Nigerian students to cover tuition and other academic costs through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Yilwatda's criticism of Atiku's pledge to scrap the scheme underscores the APC's defence of its policy initiatives.
Legit.ng has previously reported on Peter Obi's departure from the Labour Party and his subsequent ratification as the NDC's presidential candidate for 2027, as well as Atiku Abubakar's emergence as the ADC's flagbearer following the party's primary in May 2026.
Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Pipeline Contract Fraud
In a related development, Atiku Abubakar called on President Tinubu to publish full details of NNPC's ₦11.2 trillion in other receivables from the Federation, including pipeline security spending. The former vice president named Tantita and the Chagoury family as contractors he said have ties to Tinubu's re-election effort, raising conflict of interest concerns.
The statement, issued by the ADC Presidential Campaign Council on October 4, 2026, also challenged Tinubu over his remarks on returning from a four-week stay in Europe. This exchange highlights the ongoing political tension as the 2027 election approaches.
