2027 ELECTION: THE IMPERATIVE BEFORE NIGERIANS

August 23, 2025

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn into office on 29th May, 2023 expectations were rife that, armed with his Renewed Hope mantra, the new administration would act differently and concentrate efforts in alleviating the sufferings brought upon the citizens by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. The one mistake Nigerians made was, however, in not finding out what hope Tinubu was going to renew.

Mr President and his supporters were so boastful about their transformative prowess years back in Lagos which they said was going to be replicated countrywide, hoodwinking the citizens into believing that the Messiah who would turn the country into the much anticipated El Dorado had finally arrived. Again, Nigerians did not pause to understand and analyse the transformation that happened in  Lagos and to Lagos. 

Nearly three years down the line, the living condition of Nigerians has grown from worse to worst, with spiraling inflation, biting hardship orchestrated by abysmally poor economic policies, high taxation and record-breaking dive in Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) of the citizens.

And just when we thought we have had enough, the government is proposing an additional 5% fuel tax from January 2026 after the PIT tax policies, compounding the hardship on Nigerians without evidence of gains of petrol subsidy removal. The government is also proposing an increase in the remuneration for the president and other political office holders at a time when they are preaching a reduction in the cost of governance in the country.

With the massive fraud inherent in the administration through execution of pseudo projects, policies and programmes that lack universal appeal, the government has inadvertently given Nigerians enough reasons to seek alternative to this administration, and there is no alternative for any patriot to be on the fence except he/she wants to trade the suffering of the masses for their personal and selfish interests. 

The arm-twisting tactics of boxing all citizens into the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and threatening other unwilling citizens with prosecution for alleged corruption charges is a ploy which cannot save the administration from going down, as the task to salvage Nigeria in 2027 is a non-negotiable challenge which the citizens have vowed to face headlong. 

It is therefore preposterous to assume that the just concluded Bye Elections in thirteen State Constituencies, which the APC fraudulently won in most, is a reflection of how the pendulum would swing in the presidential 2027 election. This is because the people will, for the first time, be unanimous in easing an administration out of office. An administration that has so battered, debased, and dehumanised her citizens like never before.

What is now needed is for the two gladiators, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to bury their differences, set aside ego, consolidate on the gains and popularity of the coalition by forming an impregnable partnership that can stand toe-to-toe with an administration that thinks with their ill-gotten wealth they can comfortably coast to victory in the coming election.

The massive following the coalition has received so far is a pointer to the fact that the forthcoming election will not be business as usual, and the ruling party may just be in for a surprise that will haunt them for a very long time.

As citizens, the ball is in our court: we either unite as a people and defeat this evil, or we collectively perish as fools. While they think their massive financial muscle will win them election, let us in one accord say no to charlatans, no to the Pharaohs and Emperors of our time! Enough is enough! Let's end these sufferings once for all. Nigeria must be great again! 

Chief Anthony Onwuka, Ph.D. Writes from Bahrain  🇧🇭