2027: Only Nigerians Can Decide Tinubu’s Fate — PDP’s Adolphus Wabara

Former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has said that the decision on President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 ultimately lies with the Nigerian electorate—not with APC governors.

Wabara’s remarks come in reaction to the recent endorsement of President Tinubu as the sole candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 presidential election by the party’s governors.

While he acknowledged the gesture as part of the traditional “right of first refusal” for incumbents, Wabara reminded the APC that such endorsements do not guarantee victory. He pointed to the 2015 election in which then-President Goodluck Jonathan, also a sitting president, was defeated by opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement released on Thursday, May 22, Wabara stated:

“I thank APC Governors for respecting the age-long tradition of giving a first-time President or Governor the right of first refusal. I didn’t expect less.

But I would like to remind them that Governors do not have the mandate to decide who becomes President in 2027. That right resides with the electorate—millions of Nigerians experiencing the harsh realities of the APC’s governance.”

He cautioned against premature political maneuvering, urging that focus should instead be on alleviating the economic hardship that citizens face daily.

“It’s too early to overheat the polity with 2027 elections when INEC has not lifted the ban on campaigns. The APC should focus on making life better for Nigerians, not on early endorsements.”

Wabara also criticized the APC’s alleged centralization of political power and warned against what he described as a drift toward one-party dominance, saying it poses a threat to the country’s democratic fabric.