Dr Bashir Lamido, the pioneer leader of Arewa Summit International, has ruled out President Bola Tinubu losing his bid for reelection in 2027.
He claimed that it would be nearly impossible for Tinubu to lose given the calibre of political heavyweights supporting
the president’s reelection.
In response to enquiries from reporters at the Ruhe Global Resources International Education Fair and Abuja Expo on
Wednesday in Abuja, Lamido named James Ibori, Orji Kalu, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Abdul’aziz Yari as well-known
politicians whose collaboration with Tinubu will weaken the opposition and ensure the APC’s victory.
He questioned the opposition coalition movement’s capacity to form an undivided coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to Lamido, “When you talk of the possibility of the coalition wrestling power from the ruling party, I think
you should also ask yourself a pertinent question: can they agree together? The major opposition platforms, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), are seriously entangled in intense internal wrangling.
Does the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have the prospects to lead a coalition ahead of 2027?“ he questioned.
“Who will fly the ticket? Is it Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi ? Is it Nasir El-rufai or Yemi Osinbajo? Is it Rotimi Amaechi or
Bukola Saraki?” Lamido asked, adding that all of them have presidential ambitions and are not ready to relinquish
their interest for another.
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“But you see,” he continued, “Tinubu is very smart and strategic. At a time, people were thinking that Senator
Abdul’aziz Yari, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Chief James Ibori were going to join the opposition and work together to
unseat the president. I learnt that Nasir El-Rufai tried all he could to sow discord between the president and Abdullahi
Ganduje by sending him to Saudi Arabia on ambassadorial duty. “Today, the President has closed ranks with them,
and they are his very reliable allies. The four of them are presidential materials but have already endorsed the
president. The president cannot lose when he has men like them,” he said.
Explaining further, Lamido said, “The coalition is yet to take a stand; meanwhile, the president’s men are already
watering the ground. Yari is engaged with heavy empowerment in the North; Kalu is doing the same in the South and
even extending to the North, likewise others. A presidential source once mentioned they meet with the president
regularly. So there is direction and purpose, and events are being streamlined for victory.”
Regarding Tinubu’s economic performance, Lamido bemoaned the fact that the president’s major reforms are making
life more difficult for regular Nigerians, many of whom already endure substandard living conditions.
However, he emphasized that the economy will be more resilient and steady in the long run, even if he acknowledged that pain is unavoidable, particularly in the near term.
