Opposition parties and political stakeholders have criticised the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari, over his prediction that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win re-election in 2027 and the APC will remain in power beyond 2031.
Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, made the declaration at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after returning from an overseas trip.
He expressed confidence that Tinubu would secure a second term in 2027, insisting that the APC would continue to lead the country after the President completes another four years in office.
“We have seen him, Bola Tinubu, as president today, and by God’s grace, he shall be the president come 2027,” Yari said.
He also assured Nigerians that the ruling party would fulfil the promises it made during the 2023 election campaign.
“Our party is synonymous with keeping to our words. We assure Nigerians that we shall fulfil all our campaign promises,” he added.
Yari further expressed the hope that the APC would remain the dominant political party after Tinubu’s possible second term.
“We pray that our party will continue to be the party to lead the country after President Tinubu’s second term,” he said.
His comments, however, drew immediate criticism from opposition parties, which described the declaration as overconfidence and an attempt to pre-empt the decision of Nigerian voters.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, accused Yari of making the declaration to justify his appointment as campaign council director-general.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Yari was among those allegedly giving President Tinubu assurances about the APC’s electoral prospects.
“He’s one of those lying to the President. We understand he needs to justify his new appointment,” Abdullahi said.
He also recalled the Peoples Democratic Party’s former claim that it would rule Nigeria for 60 years, arguing that the party’s eventual loss of power showed the danger of making long-term political predictions.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, also dismissed Yari’s remarks as an empty political boast.
NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said Nigerian voters would ultimately determine who would govern the country.
“Only small-minded politicians play god with power that belongs to God. Nigerians will speak when election time comes,” he said.
Similarly, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said Yari had no power to determine the outcome of the 2027 election.
SDP National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, said the electorate would decide whether Yari’s prediction was realistic or merely wishful thinking.
“Nigerian voters will decide if that assertion is mere wishful thinking or not. Certainly, it is not in Senator Yari’s place to make such a declaration,” Aiyenigba said.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, also faulted the APC campaign chief’s comments.
NNPP National Chairman, Dr Agbo Major, said the decision to retain or remove the APC from power rested solely with Nigerian voters.
“The power to keep the APC in office till 2031 or otherwise rests with the electorate, not with him. Nigerians will assess their performance to determine whether to renew their mandate till 2031 or not,” Major said.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described Yari’s comments as overzealous, urging him to focus on the responsibility of delivering Tinubu’s 2027 campaign before making projections about 2031.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said Yari should concentrate on proving his capacity in his new role.
“I think the senator is simply being overzealous with the appointment given to him by Mr President as director-general. At the moment, he should focus more on how he can deliver on the mandate given to him before talking about 2031,” he said.
Former presidential candidate and political stakeholder, Chief Peter Ameh, also rejected Yari’s prediction, arguing that the APC lacked sufficient public support to confidently claim victory in a free and fair election.
Ameh said the APC could suffer a fate similar to that of the PDP, which lost power in 2015 despite earlier claims of political dominance.
He also accused the ruling party of being disconnected from the economic difficulties facing ordinary Nigerians.
Meanwhile, founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, urged Yari to avoid making predictions about matters he said were ultimately in the hands of voters and God.
Okorie recalled that former PDP National Chairman Vincent Ogbulafor had once predicted that the PDP would rule Nigeria for 60 years, only for the party to lose power years later.
He said the APC should instead focus on convincing Nigerians that the Tinubu administration had fulfilled enough of its 2023 campaign promises to deserve another mandate.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has pledged his commitment to the APC’s 2027 campaign while insisting that his constitutional responsibility of protecting Nigeria remains his priority.
Musa, who was appointed Secretary I of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, described the appointment as a call to higher service and promised to support the party’s electoral agenda.
He said national security remained the government’s highest priority and assured Nigerians that ongoing military operations, strategic reforms and inter-agency collaboration would continue.
Musa also expressed confidence that the APC would perform strongly at the 2027 polls while continuing to pursue what he described as robust governance and improved security across the country.
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