A former deputy governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Olujimi, has said Peter Obi’s campaign approach in 2023 won’t be enough to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the next presidential election.
Mrs Olujimi shared her views during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday night.
“The rhetoric of the last election will not work again in 2027, except he comes with another gimmick,” she said. “And you see, this (Tinubu) is a politician, a man who knows the terrain well.”
Mrs Olujimi recently left the Peoples Democratic Party and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress. She said Tinubu’s deep roots in Nigerian politics would make him difficult to beat.
“This is the first time we are having a dyed-in-the-wool politician as president,” she said. “He knows his onions, he knows all of us, and he’s been in the system for long. It’s tough. This is a man who has worked with everyone, who has been useful to everyone, who has had opportunities to assist governments. Beating him? Uphill task.”
Mrs Olujimi, who served briefly as deputy governor in Ekiti from 2005 to 2006, said she joined the APC because of what she described as a shift in the party’s leadership style.
“The APC we talked about in the past, the government that was in power then, is not the current one,” she said. “This government is pragmatic. It’s resolute. It’s taking tough decisions and running with them.”
She said that was a contrast to previous governments, which often backtracked under pressure. “This one takes the bull by the horns and moves on. That’s what I saw in the new APC. It’s this government that made me join the APC.”
She added that the PDP had lost momentum and direction. “I would rather leave the party than stay and work against it.”
When asked if she considered joining the African Democratic Congress, now backed by a coalition of opposition groups ahead of 2027, she dismissed the idea.
“ADC could not have worked for me,” she said. “All the leaders there are my friends and my leaders, but the structures are not there. It’s not properly anchored.”
She said the PDP, despite its issues, had clearer structures at all levels. “Now you want me to go from number two to number five and start hunting for structures again when primaries are just around the corner?”
Mrs Olujimi concluded by saying 2027 would be a tight race, but Tinubu’s political machinery and experience would likely give him the edge.
