The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Policy, Daniel Bwala, has warned the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against accepting any vice-presidential candidacy in the 2027 elections.
Naija News reports that Bwala, who gave the warning during an appearance on Channels Television, said such a move would be Obi’s “biggest mistake,” as it could lead to the collapse of his support base, popularly known as the Obidient movement.
According to Bwala, Obi’s followers backed him solely on the condition that he would contest for the presidency, and any deviation from that aspiration would cost him their loyalty.
“Peter Obi will be making the biggest mistake of his life to now come together under the agreement he will be a running mate,” Bwala said.
“The minute Peter Obi drops the idea of running for president himself, I can guarantee you he will lose the majority of the people that are following him.”
Bwala also suggested that the former Anambra State governor himself may not be inclined to accept such an arrangement.
“This is without taking away the fact that Peter Obi himself may not be comfortable in that arrangement,” he noted.
Bwala further declared that no politician in Nigeria currently has the political clout to defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“Let’s leave joke aside. Most of them are prodigies of Asho (Tinubu), a man who won election when all the forces were against him,” he said.
“How can such a man now lose election when he’s in power, when he has the opportunity to deliver on good governance and to stretch his hand to build national consensus?”
Highlighting recent defections from opposition parties to the APC, Bwala said these movements show that a possible coalition to challenge Tinubu would be “dead on arrival.”
“Governors, on the platforms of their parties are joining us, senators are joining us… the people are coming under the tutelage of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
While admitting that the president is not without flaws, Bwala maintained that Tinubu has the best political machinery and intent among Nigeria’s political class.
“The President may not be perfect, he may make mistakes, but one fact is clear — his head and his heart are right,” Bwala stated. “There is no politician alive today that has the political gravitas to gather people as much as the president. We are not bothered.”