Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, has declared that neither former Vice President Atiku Abubakar nor former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi possesses the political capacity or organisational structure needed to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Gagdi Questions Opposition's 2027 Readiness
Gagdi made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, where he insisted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has far outpaced the opposition in political mobilisation ahead of the next election cycle. “I have never, in my political imagination, thought that my party APC will lose election,” he said.
The Plateau State lawmaker questioned what concrete steps the opposition had taken in preparation for 2027, saying he had observed no meaningful effort from either Atiku or Obi. “What are the opposition doing? What are the opposition planning or doing? I have not seen, with the activities of opposition, those you mentioned, Peter Obi or Atiku, I have not seen any effort being put in place by them to unseat or defeat the President come 2027. I would say this any day, anytime,” Gagdi stated.
APC's Grassroots Dominance Cited
He pointed to the APC's sustained grassroots activities across all regions of the country as evidence of the ruling party's superior preparation. “You have seen APC's activities in the last one year across Nigeria, in the four angles of Nigeria where our political activities is ten times the political activities of any opposition political party in Nigeria,” Gagdi added.
Gagdi also pushed back against any suggestion that only opposition figures were planning for the election. “You think Bola Tinubu and the APC are not trying to win elections in 2027? Atiku and Obi have always been defeated,” he said.
Personal Electoral Record as Evidence
Drawing on his own experience at the polls, Gagdi noted that Peter Obi failed to secure votes in his constituency across multiple election cycles. “He did not win election in Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam,” the lawmaker said, referencing his time in both the state assembly from 2015 and the National Assembly from 2019 to 2023. Gagdi added that he won his seat in 2023 under the APC banner with a margin of 31,000 votes, describing this as fact rather than boast.
The lawmaker also criticised certain opposition figures for what he described as exploiting the country's security and economic difficulties for political capital without offering workable solutions. He argued that instead of providing constructive alternatives, some leaders chose to highlight government shortcomings solely to gain political advantage.
