2027: Some presidential candidates only want to make impression — Lere Olayinka

Some of the politicians seeking the presidency in the 2027 general election are merely interested in making an impact and establishing their presence rather than winning the contest, Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said.

Olayinka made the submission on Friday during an interview with Arise News while assessing the growing political activities ahead of the 2027 election.

He argued that the presence of several presidential candidates on the ballot should not be interpreted to mean that all of them have a realistic ambition of winning the election.

According to him, Nigeria has 19 presidential candidates preparing for the 2027 poll, but not all of them are approaching the contest as potential winners.

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

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

Olayinka pointed to the 2023 presidential election performance of African Action Congress candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to support his argument.

Sowore secured 14,600 votes in the 2023 election, and Olayinka questioned how a candidate with such a previous electoral showing could realistically emerge victorious in 2027.

“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. They are just contesting,” he said.

He also questioned the electoral prospects of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), the platform of former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

“Even NDC, the party of Peter Obi, they know they cannot win the election. They are just contesting to try to register their presence,” Olayinka said.

Beyond the popularity of individual candidates, he said, the ability of a political party to establish a strong structure across the country would be crucial to its chances of winning a presidential election.

Olayinka noted that the NDC did not field governorship candidates in all the states, arguing that such gaps could affect its ability to mobilise and coordinate voters during the election.

“You don’t have a governorship candidate in 15 states. You only have it in 13. There was an election in Ekiti and Osun recently.

“NDC did not field candidates. How do you win an election when you don’t have people on ground to canvass votes for you, to manage elections for you?” he asked.

He stressed that effective electioneering required a substantial network of personnel at polling units, rather than relying solely on public rallies, media appearances or political rhetoric.

According to him, Nigeria has 176,846 polling units, meaning a party seeking to properly coordinate its operations would need several agents at each location.

“In Nigeria today, there are 176,846 polling units. To make good impression on election day, you need at least five people to manage each polling unit for you.

“At least. You need five people. We have done elections before, so we know what it is.

“It is not about making noise,” he said.