Tinubu didn’t win 2023 election — Senator Abaribe

The Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said that President Bola Tinubu did not legitimately win the 2023 presidential election, predicting that the president will lose the 2027 election due to growing anger and disenchantment among citizens and Tinubu’s unpopular economic policies.

 

Abaribe, who served as the Minority Leader in the 9th Senate, said that although Tinubu has been accepted as president based on the court judgment legalising his election, he added that Tinubu will not be “two-time lucky,” noting that the 2027 election will be a contest between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigerians who have been impoverished by the president.

 

The former Deputy Governor of Abia State, speaking on Politics Today on Channels TV, anchored by Seun Okinbaloye and monitored by Nigerian Tribune, said the APC should not be deceived by those defecting to the party, describing the ruling party as a “giant with feet of clay.” He added that the APC could face the same fate as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which, despite controlling 28 states out of 36 at one point, was eventually voted out of power.

 

Abaribe, who referred to himself as a member of a coalition, said opposition members are working together to use the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to push the APC out of power, but they are waiting for the ADC to release its election guidelines.

 

The federal lawmaker said he sees the opposition becoming the majority in the next election and urged opposition parties to work together to liberate Nigerians from what he described as APC’s poor governance.

 

He said:

“The next election will be APC against the people of Nigeria. Nigerians are hurting—and hurting badly. Those defecting to APC are also hurting and are waiting for us to take action. It is good that defections are happening now. Most Tinubu supporters cannot even go home and declare their support; they risk being stoned. The economy has collapsed, and security is nothing to write home about. APC is absorbing all the problems it will face. At one time, the PDP controlled 28 out of 36 states. Where is PDP today? APC will go the same way. I see the opposition forming the majority in the next election.

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“I am a member of the coalition, and we are using the ADC to get APC out of power, although the ADC has not yet released its election guidelines. I belong to a political party but remain a member of the opposition. The opposition must unite, bury their differences, work harmoniously, and liberate Nigerians from the current state of the country.

 

“APC may appear as a giant, but it has feet of clay. Tinubu will lose the 2027 election. He never truly won the 2023 election, and everyone knows it. We accepted him because of the court judgment legalising his election. But this time, everyone will be ready. The results won’t be announced at 3 a.m.; the public will be aware of the outcome.”

 

Abaribe also accused Tinubu of gradually turning the country into a one-party state—a move the president had vehemently opposed years ago as a major opposition figure, standing against the then-ruling PDP. He criticized Tinubu for failing to lead by example, living in opulence while Nigerians continue to suffer.

 

He further accused the president of running Nigeria like a monarchy in what he termed a “Kabiesi government,” where anything Tinubu says is deemed right, and anyone who challenges him is charged with treason.

 

“President Tinubu is now engaging in what he once opposed. He resisted the rampaging effect of the PDP, but now he is mobilising Nigeria into a one-party state. APC is keeping everyone in little silos. A leader should lead by example. If citizens are suffering, the President should identify with them.

 

“He must cut the cost of governance and stop the flamboyance for citizens to believe in him. You asked the public to cut their coat according to their cloth, yet you went to sew agbada. You cannot ask me to suffer while you live in opulence. It is simply a matter of integrity and trust in governance. State capture occurs when other arms of government become subservient to the executive,” Abaribe added.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE