Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has declared that President Bola Tinubu will only lose the 2027 presidential election if voting is conducted on social media platforms, asserting that online criticism does not reflect the reality of electoral strength at polling units across the country. Speaking in an interview with Channels Television that began trending on Sunday, the governor dismissed the growing online support for opposition figures, particularly the digital movements that have rallied around former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. He said the president's approval among ordinary Nigerians, built on infrastructure projects and federal allocations, would translate into an overwhelming victory when ballots are cast in person. "If the election is going to be conducted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or social media, Asiwaju will lose, but if it is people who will vote through the ballot at polling units, he is going to win 70 percent of the votes," Sani said. His remarks, which have sparked significant debate, came as political conversations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, now just over a year away.
The governor's confidence in Tinubu's re-election is rooted in what he described as the president's unprecedented support for northern Nigeria, an argument he has been making consistently in recent days. On Friday, while hosting a delegation from the presidency led by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Sani declared that no Nigerian leader in history has favoured the north more than Tinubu. He pointed to two major federal projects recently approved for Kaduna State: a 50 kilometre light rail corridor costing about one trillion naira and the 122 kilometre Mandu-Birnin Gwari road, valued at approximately 178 billion naira, a road he said had been abandoned for over two decades. He argued that these investments, along with improved security along the Birnin Gwari corridor which once forced travellers to use military escorts, have won the president enduring loyalty from northern voters. "That is the reason the whole of Kaduna State will forever be grateful to the President Tinubu led government. And I can assure you that Kaduna State as we speak has no opposition. That is the fact of the matter. Kaduna is a one party state and I have no apology for that," Sani said during the same event.
The governor's declaration that Kaduna has effectively become a one party state has drawn sharp reactions from opposition figures who see it as an admission of democratic erosion rather than electoral strength. On Thursday, while speaking at a state banquet for the presidential media team, Sani boasted that opposition forces had become largely insignificant in Kaduna's political landscape, accusing some journalists of approaching governance issues with preconceived opinions. He went further, making a direct appeal to voters to ignore online narratives which he dismissed as disconnected from ground realities. "All the people talking that the president won't win elections, if elections are conducted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and social media, that's where he will lose. But if it is people that vote at polling units, he is going to get 70 per cent of the votes," he reiterated. The governor also invoked his personal history as a democracy activist detained under the military junta of the late General Sani Abacha, arguing that many of Tinubu's critics lack the historical perspective to understand what is at stake in preserving constitutional governance.
However, not everyone shares Sani's optimism. The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, has warned that a second term for President Tinubu could push Nigeria towards collapse if current conditions persist. In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Baba Ahmed described the country as facing one of its most difficult periods, marked by widespread insecurity, deepening poverty, and growing division among citizens. He argued that the administration is disconnected from the realities of ordinary Nigerians, particularly young people who lack opportunities and motivation for a better future. "We've never been in a war situation more than we are now. We have a government that is too removed from the people. They don't really understand the state in which Nigerians live," Baba Ahmed said. He stressed the need for a decisive political shift in 2027 to halt what he characterised as a dangerous downward trend. "Another term for the same administration may just put an end to this country," he warned.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also weighed in, declaring that President Tinubu stands no chance of securing re‑election in 2027, citing what he described as the administration's poor performance and the strength of the opposition coalition. Speaking on Arise Television in mid‑April, Atiku argued that the current administration has failed to meet expectations across key sectors, insisting that Nigerians are already bearing the brunt of policies that have deepened hardship and weakened confidence in government. He expressed confidence in the opposition coalition, describing it as far stronger than the 2015 coalition that brought the APC to power. "With a coalition candidate facing Bola Tinubu, Bola Tinubu is dead on arrival. This is not a slogan. It's a fact. Everything is wrong with President Tinubu. Perhaps, in my life, this is the worst administration I have seen in this country," Atiku stated. He confirmed that the 2027 race would be his final attempt at the presidency, acknowledging that the stakes are significantly higher than in previous elections.
Despite these opposition voices, Governor Sani remains unmoved. He has called on Nigerians to remain vigilant against what he described as desperate moves by opposition elements seeking to undermine the country's democratic process. Speaking at the same event where he declared Kaduna a one party state, the governor thanked the presidential media team for enlightening Nigerians about the extensive infrastructure revolution underway under President Tinubu's administration. He urged Nigerians not to be swayed by self serving narratives pushed by individuals and groups whose primary interest is gaining political power rather than contributing meaningfully to national development. He also reflected on his own sacrifices for democracy, saying, "Some of us lost our freedoms. We went to detention. We fought for this democracy." As the 2027 election cycle approaches, the divide between those who see Tinubu's victory as inevitable and those who predict a historic defeat continues to widen, with both sides marshalling their arguments for a contest that will ultimately be decided not on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, but at polling units across the nation's 176,846 voting points.
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