The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have engaged in a war of words over what the latter described as premature campaigns ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
Several groups, including some opposition governors, have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term. During a summit held in Abuja four months ago, APC governors, members of its National Working Committee and those in the National Assembly adopted the President as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
At the 2025 Southern Summit of former legislators, held at the weekend in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the ex-federal lawmakers and party leaders from all six geo-political zones also endorsed the president’s second term bid.
In a statement on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Debo Ologunagba, the PDP alleged that the APC was desperately ‘shopping for endorsements’. He also alleged that the APC was getting panicky saying, ‘The president and APC are looking for endorsement’.
But on Tuesday, the APC dismissed the claims, saying that the endorsements reflected broad acceptance of Tinubu’s leadership.
In a statement,, the spokesman of the Lagos State chapter of the party, Hon. Seye Oladejo said that the party was amused by the PDP’s reaction.
He said: ‘The only people in panic mode are those with an empty shell called a party. Panic is when a party that once boasted of being Africa’s largest is now reduced to an empty kiosk, preparing for a convention as if preparing for World War III due to threats within.
‘For APC, the journey continues. For PDP, the panic continues. APC builds, PDP bleeds’.
He accused the PDP of struggling to keep its members intact, saying ‘If there is any party on a shopping spree, it is the PDP– desperately shopping for presidential candidates as a reflection of its lack of depth’.
According to Oladejo, the defections from the opposition party to the APC show where real support lies.
‘Today, the only news the so-called largest political party in Africa looks forward to is the story of which of its governors has crossed over to the ruling party. That, unambiguously, is the true definition of panic.
‘For avoidance of doubt, every endorsement of President Tinubu is another confirmation that 2027 is a settled matter’, Oladejo said.
He accused the PDP of wasting Nigeria’s wealth during its 16 years in power.
He also alleged that the PDP had been reduced to ‘shouting from the sidelines while Tinubu bears the burden of reforms’.
Earlier in a statement, Ologunagba had alleged that the APC was jittery about ongoing reforms in the PDP ahead of its November 15–16 national convention.
‘If indeed the president is doing well and the APC is succeeding, you let your work speak for you. You don’t want to say come and endorse me. So, it is panic mode. The fact is that they are not doing well, they have failed, and they recognise that Nigeria truly knows that this APC has failed the country.
‘But thank God the PDP is back, fully set, taking the November 15 and 16 national convention as its platform to launch itself back to Nigeria, and Nigerians are waiting eagerly, and that’s why each time we speak, they’re excited. They are anxious to get us back to where we are.
‘So the panic mode of the APC government at present is a sign of a failed government. That you know that your policy is not working, and you say, let’s spin it, let’s gaslight it. This is not working because Nigerians have seen through it. So all the endorsements, all the shopping endorsements, let your work endorse you’, the PDP’s spokesman had stated.
The National President of the Nigerian Political Science Association, Prof. Hassan Saliu told Daily Trust on Tuesday that Nigerian politicians are largely driven by self-interest rather than the welfare of the people.
According to him, grabbing and retaining power is what matters most to them, while the needs of citizens are relegated to the background.
‘It is the same game after every election cycle. Nobody is telling us about any revolutionary ideas when they are voted into office. Those in government are preoccupied with consolidating power, while the opposition has not offered any concrete plans or implementation strategies.
‘What we see instead is the ruling government praising itself for stabilising the economy, but the reality on the streets paints a different picture. Citizens are grappling with insecurity and poor purchasing power while politicians are not bothered’, he said.
Saliu said with 2027 already in view, all political platforms appear more focused on capturing power than improving lives, urging citizens to exercise restraint in their expectations.
For Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Prof. Sikiru Lanre Nurudeen, the desperation of politicians to retain power is not new.
He noted that while it is within the right of incumbents to seek re-election and the opposition to try to discredit them, as seen between the APC and PDP, the electorate remain the final arbiter to determine which party is truly serious.
‘With the high level of poverty and the fact that many politicians have no other vocation apart from politics, they use the 2027 elections to distract the people from their failures in governance. This is what is happening now’, he said.
In an interview with Daily Trust on Tuesday, a Professor of Governance, Identity Politics and Development Communication at the University of Jos, Ezekiel Adeyi said that the APC and the PDP were not focused on the well-being of the country.
He said: ‘Definitely these people – both the opposition and those in government, are not thinking of service delivery. They are not thinking of improving democratic governance. What they are all after is power. They want to grab power. And all the gladiators are singing same song of power.
‘They don’t care about insecurity. They don’t care about exchange rate. They don’t care about the welfare of the citizens. If the parties in government at state or federal levels want to retain power, the ideal thing for them is not seeking endorsement, but ensuring good governance, making education and security work.
‘The problem is not with the politicians alone but with the electorates too because people easily forget things. People work on sentiments. And once politicians come and say the race for 2027 is on, they will not ask themselves how they can improve their lives’?
During a roundtable discussion on the challenges of early political campaigns, held in Abuja last Wednesday, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had decried the increasing cases of early political campaigns across the country, describing them a clear breach of Nigeria’s electoral laws and threat to democratic governance.
Yakubu said that, although Section 94(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 imposes a maximum fine of N500,000 for campaigning within 24 hours of an election, ‘there is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election . Here lies the challenge for the commission in dealing with early campaign’.
He referenced Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which clearly prohibits the commencement of campaigns earlier than 150 days before polling day and requires all campaign activities to end 24 hours before voting begins.
‘Political parties, candidates and their supporters seem to be perpetually in election mood even when the electoral commission is yet to release the timetable and schedule of activities for elections’, the INEC chairman had said.
