Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kassim Afegbua, has predicted victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, projecting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to finish second and Peter Obi tow come third.
Afegbua made the prediction while assessing the electoral prospects of major opposition figures during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast.
According to the commissioner, the 2027 presidential election is primarily a three-way contest involving Tinubu, Atiku and Obi. He dismissed the chances of other presidential contenders, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
“It’s a three horse race please. Don’t bug me with the needless distraction of Seyi Makinde,” Afegbua said.
Makinde, who is seeking the presidency under the platform of the Advanced Peoples Movement (APM), also came under criticism from the commissioner.
Afegbua questioned the governor’s political influence and the strength of the APM, asking why Makinde was making so much noise about his presidential ambition.
“Where is APM in Nigeria, please? Where is Makinde? Why is he grandstanding? What is the meaning of all of that? Is that arrogance of power, or you just feel that he needs to make some noise? What’s that?” he asked.
The Edo commissioner also played down the presidential ambitions of African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Omoyele Sowore and other opposition figures, referring to them as “rabble rousers”.
“What is the other man’s name? Sowore. All those ones are rabble rousers. It’s a three horse race,” he said.
Afegbua went on to outline his predicted order of finish in the election.
“Atiku Abubakar will come second. Peter Obi will come third. President Bola Tinubu will come first,” he stated.
He explained that his projection was based on statistics, research and empirical analysis of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), including the party’s electoral strengths and weaknesses.
“The statistics massing around favor this conclusion. It is based on empirical analysis, based on research, based on investigation,” Afegbua said.
Although he acknowledged that the APC had weaknesses in certain areas, the commissioner said the party was aware of its challenges and was taking steps to address them before the election.
He added that the party had identified states where it might struggle but remained confident in its overall strength.
“We know where our weaknesses are as a party, and we also know the states where we are not going to do well. Things may change because we are putting certain machinery in place. APC is very solid,” he said.
