A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has declared that President Bola Tinubu remains unchallenged ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that governance and electoral outcomes will ultimately be determined by the collective will of Nigerians rather than by political manoeuvres.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Aliyu stressed that while opposition figures such as former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar command respect, none poses a serious threat to Tinubu’s candidacy.
“The majority people of the North will still vote for APC. And Tinubu will be our candidate. Whether Jonathan is coming in, is it going to be a threat to us?
“We respect Jonathan. We respect Atiku. We respect all these Nigerian leaders. But I tell you, I have not seen anyone on the horizon that can compete with Tinubu as presently constituted,” he said.
Aliyu, who dismissed narratives suggesting northern discontent with Tinubu’s leadership, argued that while not all northerners may support the president, the APC still enjoys overwhelming grassroots backing.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s still we the people… So whether the north are angry, whether the north is saying they will not vote for Tinubu is subjective.
“Of course, not everybody in the north is going to vote for Tinubu. But the majority people of the north will still vote for APC. And Tinubu will be our candidate,” he insisted.
Beyond party politics, the APC stalwart emphasised citizen responsibility in shaping Nigeria’s future, noting that governance is not the exclusive preserve of political elites.
“Sadly, it’s all of us. When I said we, I mean all Nigerians. It’s got nothing to do with where you come from. The people of this country still need to decide whom we want to govern us, from whichever party, from whichever zone,” Aliyu said.
Describing the APC as the “darling of the people,” Aliyu maintained that the party remains confident of securing another mandate but accepted that Nigerians ultimately hold the power to retain or reject the ruling party.
“As of today, we are in power. We will continue to try to do our best to bring support to the Nigerian people. But if in the wisdom of Nigerians they don’t want us to continue, just like we voted out PDP, it’s okay for them to vote us out,” he concluded.
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