The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu could lose the 2027 presidential election if the contest is conducted transparently and without interference.
Baba-Ahmed made the prediction on Wednesday while appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he assessed the political strength of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the next general election.
According to him, the APC’s control of the presidency, National Assembly and a large number of state governments does not necessarily translate into electoral strength.
He described the ruling party as a “monster eating itself up,” arguing that internal political tensions and the country’s current challenges could work against the party in 2027.
The PRP chairman cited the recent victory of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as evidence that the APC could be defeated through the ballot box.
He noted that opposition parties did not have to form a single alliance against the APC in the Osun governorship election before the ruling party was defeated.
Baba-Ahmed also rejected suggestions that Adeleke’s victory could have been linked to an alleged political understanding with President Tinubu, maintaining that the APC suffered a clear electoral setback in the state.
He said the Osun result demonstrated that the ruling party was not invincible and that a similar outcome could be recorded in the presidential election if voters are allowed to freely express their choices.
“APC is not a party. It is a monster eating itself up and eating everybody up,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed further questioned why the President would remain politically concerned despite what he described as significant control over the country’s political structures, including the support of many governors and members of the National Assembly.
He said the credibility of the 2027 election would be critical to Nigeria’s democratic stability, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demonstrate that it could conduct a genuinely free and fair presidential contest.
“If it’s a credible, free and fair election, I assure you, Tinubu will lose,” Baba-Ahmed said, adding that the defeat could come “before 4 pm.”
He cautioned that any failure to ensure a credible election could create serious consequences for Nigeria’s democracy, stressing that INEC should not be commended until it successfully conducts an election in which the incumbent president is a contestant.
