Tinubu will fall before 4pm if poll is free — PRP chair

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu can be defeated in the 2027 presidential election if the poll is free, fair and credible.

Baba-Ahmed made the claim during a Channels Television programme, arguing that the recent Osun State governorship election demonstrated that the ruling All Progressives Congress can lose despite controlling the Federal Government and having significant political influence across the country.

He said the APC’s defeat in Osun was particularly instructive because opposition parties did not unite against it in a broad coalition.

“APC was trounced in Osun. We didn’t even see a coalition or collaboration or a gang-up against the APC. Parties all competed against one another. Yet, APC was defeated,” he said.

The PRP chairman said the outcome showed that the ruling party’s political strength could be overcome through the ballot when voters are allowed to freely determine the winner.

“There’s no reason why this cannot repeat itself at a national level,” he added.

Baba-Ahmed also dismissed claims of an understanding between Tinubu and Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke over the election outcome, insisting that the result reflected the ability of voters to reject a ruling party.

He described the APC as “a monster eating itself up and eating everybody up,” while questioning the party’s internal cohesion.

The PRP leader further noted that Tinubu enjoys the backing of a large number of governors and a substantial majority in the National Assembly, yet, according to him, the President remains politically vulnerable ahead of 2027.

“You have a president who appears to have garnered the support of 31 governors and quite possibly about 75 per cent of the National Assembly, yet he’s still uncomfortable. It’s politically monstrous,” he said.

Despite the APC’s political advantage, Baba-Ahmed said the party’s numerical strength would not guarantee victory if the electoral process was transparent.

“If it’s a credible, free and fair election, I assure you, Tinubu will lose,” he declared.

Asked when he expected the result to become clear, he said the President could be defeated within hours of voting.

“I won’t say before 12 noon. Maybe before 4 pm,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed also warned against prematurely praising the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2027 election.

“Nobody should praise INEC until it can actually conduct an election in which the President is a contestant,” he said.

He stressed that the presidential election would be a crucial test of Nigeria’s electoral institutions and warned that a failure to deliver a credible poll could threaten confidence in the country’s democracy.

“I hope the election will be credible, free and fair. If it’s not, I foresee a very serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy,” he said.

His comments come amid intensified preparations by political parties for the 2027 general elections, with the APC seeking to retain the presidency and opposition forces positioning themselves for a challenge.