President Bola Tinubu has declared that he is prepared for a fierce political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that he will not make it easy for the opposition to unseat him.
Tinubu made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House in Abuja.
The President also defended the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), dismissing allegations that the electoral body was biased.
“I asked for this job. I’m in it. Those who will take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and it’s equal opportunity,” Tinubu said.
Addressing concerns about INEC’s neutrality, he maintained that the commission had never intimidated any political actor.
“INEC, you mentioned, is neutral. They’ve never, never intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolves, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the companies they keep, not me,” he said.
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The President stressed that while he was ready for the political battle ahead, he would not hand his opponents any advantage.
“I’m ready, but I won’t give them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me and rope me. No, we wrestle each other to the finishing point,” Tinubu added.
Nigeria’s 2027 general election will begin with the presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state House of Assembly elections will be held on February 6, 2027.
Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is expected to face candidates from other political parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), among others.
