From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has dismissed the growing number of presidential aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing some of them as content creators with little prospect of defeating President Bola Tinubu.
Olayinka argued that the presence of 19 presidential candidates did not necessarily translate into a competitive contest, accusing some opposition politicians of seeking ballot recognition and social media attention rather than working towards electoral victory.
He made the remarks on Thursday while appearing on TVC’s flagship political programme, Beyond The Headlines.
Olayinka, who is also a spokesperson for the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), questioned the preparedness, political consistency and grassroots strength of opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 poll.
He particularly criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who are associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Action Congress (AAC), respectively, based on the account of their candidacies presented during the programme.
Assessing Atiku’s presidential ambition, Olayinka described the former vice-president’s repeated attempts to occupy the nation’s highest political office as evidence of a longstanding ambition.
“Someone who started contesting for president since 1993… this is his eighth time. Anytime the whistle is blown, if today they say there should be election for president every month, Atiku would be contesting every month,” he said.
He also accused Atiku of inconsistency on fuel subsidy, recalling his reported description of the policy as fraudulent in 2022 and alleging that he subsequently advocated its restoration.
Olayinka’s criticism extended to Obi, whom he described as a “content creator”, accusing the former governor of inconsistency in his public statements and questioning his ability to manage political crises.
“Peter Obi is more like a content creator — he says something today, he says another thing tomorrow,” he said.
He cited Obi’s departures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party amid internal disagreements as grounds for questioning his capacity to manage a larger political organisation.
“Someone who has not been able to manage an ordinary political party… does that mean if he becomes president and there is a problem in Nigeria, he will run and go to Cameroon?” Olayinka asked.
The FCT minister’s aide also questioned Sowore’s electoral prospects, citing the 14,600 votes he said the AAC candidate secured in the 2023 presidential election.
“For instance, the candidate of AAC, Omoyele Sowore, had 14,600 votes in 2023. How would that person win the election next year? They know that they cannot win,” he said.
Olayinka maintained that participation in a presidential election did not necessarily mean a candidate was seeking to win, arguing that some aspirants were primarily interested in making their presence felt politically.
“It is not everybody that contests elections that wants to win. There are people that contest elections just to register their presence,” he said.
He further questioned the NDC’s grassroots capacity, arguing that presidential candidates needed strong nationwide structures, adequate personnel and effective mobilisation networks to secure votes across polling units.
According to him, visibility on social media and public attention alone would not guarantee electoral success without the organisational capacity to mobilise voters and protect votes nationwide.
On the APC’s preparations for the 2027 election, Olayinka dismissed concerns about disagreements among political stakeholders, insisting that alliances were being built across states to strengthen Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He cited cooperation between the APC and the Accord Party in Osun State as an example of the coalition-building efforts, saying the parties were working together to deliver votes for the president.
“APC in Osun State and Accord Party are working together. It is a coalition. They are working to deliver votes to the president,” he said.
Olayinka expressed confidence that the ruling party’s alliances and grassroots mobilisation would give Tinubu an advantage over his challengers, arguing that the opposition had yet to present a coherent alternative to the administration.
He accused opposition campaigns of relying heavily on sentiments and social media trends rather than demonstrable achievements.
To support his argument, Olayinka pointed to road construction, urban renewal and other development projects in the FCT under Minister Nyesom Wike, describing them as evidence of the administration’s commitment to infrastructure development.
He maintained that the APC’s political alliances and record of development would strengthen its position as the 2027 presidential election approaches.
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