2027: Some presidential candidates are content creators – Wike’s aide

The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has dismissed the large number of presidential candidates for the 2027 general elections, saying many of them are content creators and not serious contenders.

Olayinka made the remarks on Thursday while appearing as a guest on TVC’s flagship political programme, Beyond the Headlines.

Speaking on the state of the opposition ahead of 2027, he argued that the presence of 19 presidential candidates did not translate to a competitive race against President Bola Tinubu.

He said only a few of the candidates were running with a genuine intention to win, while others were in the race to stay relevant and create social media content.

“Stop calling them opposition. Some of these people are not opposing government, they are opposing retirement. Some of them are just content creators,” Olayinka said.

According to him, politics has become a platform for some individuals to maintain visibility, with elections used to generate online engagement rather than offer alternative ideas.

“So it is not everybody that contests elections that wants to win. There are people that contest elections just to register their presence,” he stated.

He said the 2027 contest could not be judged by the number of candidates alone, stressing that President Tinubu remained the candidate to beat based on performance and national spread.

“In this 2027 election, we have 19 presidential candidates. Can we honestly say all 19 are contesting with the mindset of winning? The answer is no,” he said.

Olayinka singled out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for criticism, describing him as a perennial contestant.

“Atiku has been pursuing Aso Rock for so long that even Google Map must be tired of giving him directions. Maybe his doctors prescribed the presidency to him as a drug he must use,” he said.

He also said Atiku was the only holder of the title of “Contestant General of the Federal Republic” and that, if presidential ambition were a university course, he would be a professor emeritus.

“Look at Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rufai; one is looking for the presidency, another is looking for a political miracle, and the third is looking for somebody to interrupt on television,” he added.

He said the opposition had failed to present a coherent alternative to the Tinubu administration, with campaigns built on sentiments and social media trends rather than verifiable achievements.

Olayinka cited road construction, urban renewal and reforms in the FCT under Minister Nyesom Wike as evidence of the administration’s commitment to development.

He expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure a second term, saying Nigerians would not repeat what he called the political mistake of 2023.

On the Rainbow Coalition unveiled in the FCT, Olayinka said there was no confusion about its purpose.

He said it was a deliberate effort by the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to unite politicians across party lines in support of President Tinubu’s re-election.

“There is no confusion about the Rainbow Coalition. It is very clear. It is a coalition of people who love the FCT and who love President Bola Tinubu, irrespective of political party,” Olayinka said.

He cited Osun and Anambra states as case studies, saying what was happening in the FCT was not strange and was already happening nationally.

He said that in Osun, Governor Ademola Adeleke, a PDP member, was now serving as Osun State Coordinator for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

“In Osun, you have an Accord governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is coordinating President Tinubu’s campaign. Is there confusion there? No. It is about interest and development,” he stated.

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He said the same logic applied in Anambra, where Governor Chukwuma Soludo, an APGA member, had been named Anambra State Coordinator for the Tinubu campaign.

“In Anambra, you have Governor Soludo, who is APGA, but he is coordinating for Tinubu. That is exactly what Rainbow Coalition is about. It is about serious leaders putting national interest above party interest,” he said.

Olayinka recalled that, during an interactive session in Bwari Area Council on Thursday, the FCT APC Chairman, Tanko Yamawo, and the PDP Chairman, Ismaila Dogara, both spoke in support of the coalition.

He assured that the coalition would be replicated in all area councils of the FCT, including AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji, to ensure total victory for President Tinubu in 2027.