Former APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has said that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi lack the necessary political structure in Northern Nigeria to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking over the weekend at a public event in Kano, Ganduje said the North is the deciding region in presidential elections.
He said the two opposition candidates did not have the grass roots support to win the region.
“The North is strategic in every presidential election in Nigeria,” he said. “With due respect to our friends in the opposition, neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar can gather enough support in this part of the country to defeat President Tinubu in 2027.”
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Ganduje also stated that although discussions on opposition coalition were ongoing, Atiku and Obi have not established strong political structures across the North to make meaningful electoral gains.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make the registration of political parties more stringent, saying only parties with functional structures, distinct ideologies and presence across the country should be recognised.
“More rigorous registration standards will help strengthen our democracy by ensuring that only viable political parties are participating in elections,” he said.