2023 politics won’t repeat itself in 2027, says Abejide

A member of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Leke Abejide, has said the circumstances surrounding the 2023 general elections no longer exist, saying his faction of the party will support President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.

He attributed Peter Obi’s strong showing in the 2023 presidential election to religious concerns among Northern Christians, who he said feared restrictions on their religious freedoms under a Bola Tinubu presidency.

“People, especially Northern Christians, believed they would be in trouble if Asiwaju became president. They thought they would not have room to practise their faith, but it is not like that today,” Abejide said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

He warned opposition parties against attempting to replicate the political dynamics of the 2023 election, arguing that the political landscape has changed significantly since President Tinubu assumed office.

According to Abejide, the president’s conduct in office has dispelled fears of religious bias. “The way the president handled everything, people now know he is not a religious bigot and does not believe in extremism of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim,” he said.

The lawmaker also criticised recent registration activities by opposition figures, specifically referencing Obi’s reported ADC registration in Enugu State instead of his home constituency in Anambra State.

“He is supposed to go to his ward and register from there for it to be recognised. If you go to the zonal office to register as a politician, that kind of politics is new to me,” he said.

Addressing speculation about possible opposition alliances ahead of the 2027 elections, Abejide dismissed claims that combining votes from the 2023 presidential election would automatically guarantee victory over the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“If anyone is capitalising on what happened in 2023 and assuming that combining Atiku’s votes with Obi’s votes will defeat the APC, such a person is only building castles in the air,” he added, while noting that leadership disputes within the ADC remain unresolved.