Former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido Warns that Personality Clashes and Opposition Division Undermine Nigeria Ahead of 2027
Appearing on Channels Television's Politics Today, former Governor of Jigawa State and elder statesman Sule Lamido delivered a sobering assessment of the buildup to Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
Lamido asserted that regardless of which major contender emerges victorious—whether incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Atiku Abubakar, or Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer Peter Obi—Nigeria stands to lose due to the toxic, divisive, and personality-driven nature of ongoing campaigns.
Lamido observed that the fragmentation of the opposition—following the collapse of efforts to keep Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi under a single coalition banner—has handed President Tinubu and the APC a decisive structural advantage.
Beyond electoral arithmetic, he lamented the abandonment of traditional, issue-centered campaigning in favor of intense propaganda, regional incitement, and personal attacks that threaten national cohesion, economic stability, and empathy across ethnic and religious lines.
"Whoever wins—whether Peter Obi, Atiku, or Tinubu—in terms of our unity, our economy, and our love as a country of brothers and sisters, it has all gone down. We have abandoned the traditional campaign on issues, about love, empathy, unity, and what candidates can offer Nigerians." — Sule Lamido, Former Governor of Jigawa State
Deep-Dive Analysis
Key Issues Unpacked on Politics Today
The interview examined opposition realignments, the strategic consequences of a divided ticket, and the deterioration of political discourse ahead of the 2027 general elections:
- Opposition Fragmentation & Tinubu's Advantage: Lamido noted that following the departure of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi from their former platforms and the subsequent split between the ADC and NDC coalitions, running separate presidential tickets splits the opposition vote. Combined with the APC’s institutional leverage across sitting and former state governors, this division clears an easy path to victory for President Tinubu.
- Missed Opportunity for a Joint Opposition Ticket: According to Lamido, a unified front—such as Atiku Abubakar running for president with Peter Obi as his running mate under an agreement to transition power after four years—would have mounted a formidable challenge. He attributed the failure of such an arrangement to entrenched personal ambitions and unwillingness to compromise on power.
- Shift from Issue-Based Campaigns to Personal Attacks: Lamido criticized leading political camps for turning the 2027 race into personal rivalries characterized by mutual insults and media warfare rather than concrete policy proposals addressing economic recovery and governance.
- Dangers of Propaganda and Incitement in Northern Nigeria: Highlighting the tone of political messaging in northern Nigeria, Lamido warned that intense propaganda, hate-filled rhetoric, and incitement are deepening social divisions and eroding civic trust among everyday voters.
2027 Presidential Race Dynamics: Sule Lamido’s Assessment
Political Actor / Bloc | Current Alignment (2027 Cycle) | Sule Lamido’s Strategic Assessment |
Bola Tinubu (APC) | Incumbent President seeking re-election with broad gubernatorial backing. | Holds a strong structural advantage due to incumbent state machinery and a split opposition. |
Atiku Abubakar (ADC) | Former Vice President running on the African Democratic Congress platform. | Weakened by the collapse of a unified opposition front and personal rivalries with other contenders. |
Peter Obi (NDC) | Former Anambra Governor running on the Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket. | Running separately divides anti-incumbent votes, making victory difficult without a joint ticket. |
Nigerian Electorate | Navigating intense media propaganda and economic pressures. | Suffers from the erosion of national unity and absence of issue-based policy debates. |
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