Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said some presidential candidates in the 2027 general election are not entering the race with a serious expectation of winning.
Olayinka made the statement on Friday during an interview with Arise News while discussing the growing political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He argued that the presence of several candidates on the ballot should not be taken as proof that all of them have the same ambition of winning the presidency. According to him, some politicians may be using the election to gain visibility, strengthen their political identity and show that their parties are active.
Olayinka pointed to the number of presidential candidates expected to contest in 2027, saying there are currently 19 candidates. He questioned whether all of them have enough political strength and nationwide support to seriously compete for victory.
As an example, he referred to the 2023 presidential election performance of Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress candidate, who received about 14,600 votes. Olayinka argued that based on such a result, it would be difficult to see how Sowore could emerge victorious in the 2027 election without a major change in his political fortunes.
He also questioned the chances of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the party under which Peter Obi is contesting the 2027 presidential election. Olayinka said the party’s limited presence in governorship contests across the country could affect its ability to build the political structure required for a nationwide presidential campaign.
According to him, the NDC has governorship candidates in only 13 states and is absent from 15 others. He also referred to the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun, noting that the party did not field candidates in those contests.
Olayinka said a presidential candidate needs a strong network of supporters and party officials across the country to properly campaign, mobilise voters and monitor the voting process. He argued that lacking candidates and political structures at the state level could make it harder for a party to compete effectively at the presidential level.
He further said the scale of Nigeria’s electoral system requires a large number of people to manage activities at polling units on election day. With 176,846 polling units across the country, he estimated that a party would need at least five people at each polling unit to effectively monitor and manage its operations.
Olayinka maintained that presidential elections require more than public campaigns and political statements. In his view, parties must have people on the ground who can mobilise supporters, canvass for votes and monitor the process from the polling unit level.
His comments come as political parties and presidential candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 election, with several opposition groups seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress.