Obi lost 2027 chance the day he left ADC — Fayose

A former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said Peter Obi weakened his chances in the 2027 presidential election by leaving the African Democratic Congress for the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Fayose stated this in an interview on TVC News’ Politics Tonight on Tuesday, while assessing the prospects of the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He argued that the decision by Obi and other opposition politicians to move away from the ADC had weakened the possibility of presenting a united challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“When they were all together in ADC, I would tell anybody that they will make an impact. The day Obi left ADC for NDC, that day Obi lost,” Fayose said.

The former governor, however, described Obi as “a fantastic Nigerian who has made his marks, who has shown that things can get better,” but said the opposition’s failure to remain united would continue to hurt its chances.

“But when opposition, when they don’t come together, they will continue to lose,” he said.

Fayose said the opposition had now gone too far in the electoral process to reverse course, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accredited the candidates.

“It’s too late now,” he said. “INEC has accredited everybody. Even if you say you are not doing again, you’re on your own.”

“You have put your feet in the water. You can’t get out. You have gotten wet already,” he added.

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On the chances of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, Fayose said the political arithmetic in the South-West currently favoured the President, particularly with the support of prominent political leaders in the region.

He projected that Tinubu could secure about four million votes from the region, based on the voting pattern recorded in the 2023 presidential election.

“In the West alone, Tinubu will get close to about four million votes,” Fayose said.

“When you look at the pattern of the last election, Tinubu will win this election close to about 65 per cent,” he added.

Fayose also criticised claims that electoral malpractice during the recent Osun governorship election was the fault of only one political camp, saying supporters of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party and Accord Party were all implicated in vote-buying.

“It’s mere desperation. Mere desperation,” he said.

He added, “The two sides clearly, going by what we saw on the television on Saturday, police arrested the two sides sharing money. So don’t come and tell me they are saints both ways.”

Fayose said electoral malpractice was a systemic problem that required collective responsibility from politicians and the electorate.

“We have a lot to put right,” he said, adding, “It’s the system. It’s systemic. It is a problem that has to be addressed.”