2027: Oshiomhole dismisses Peter Obi as APC’s biggest threat

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has dismissed suggestions that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, remains the biggest political threat to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that Obi’s impressive performance in the last presidential poll was driven largely by the unusual political circumstances that prevailed at the time.

The senator representing Edo North made the remarks during an appearance on Beyond The Headlines, where he argued that the conditions that propelled Obi’s popularity were exceptional and are unlikely to recur before the next general election.

According to the former Edo State governor, widespread public anger over economic hardship during the closing months of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration played a far greater role in shaping the 2023 election than Obi’s political appeal alone.

No cause for concern over Obi

Responding to claims that the APC was underestimating Obi’s influence, Oshiomhole said the ruling party had no reason to regard the former Anambra State governor as its greatest political challenge.

“No, not at all. Obi was produced by an unusual situation when a ruling party decided to destroy itself, making anybody running on its platform almost unelectable. It was that confusion that produced those votes,” he said.

He maintained that the political climate that existed before the 2023 election was unique and should not be interpreted as a permanent shift in Nigeria’s electoral landscape.

Blames naira redesign, fuel scarcity

Oshiomhole attributed the public frustration that influenced voting patterns to the controversial naira redesign policy and the severe fuel scarcity experienced in the run-up to the election.

According to him, many Nigerians became disillusioned after they were unable to access money deposited in commercial banks despite long hours spent at automated teller machines.

“People had money in the bank but couldn’t access it. They queued all night at ATM machines just to withdraw ₦10,000, and after a week, even the ATMs were dry,” he said.

He added that many citizens were forced to depend on Point of Sale (POS) operators, who charged high fees before releasing cash.

Public anger shaped election

The former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress argued that the widespread hardship generated deep resentment against the government and influenced the outcome of the presidential election.

“Someone asked why people would queue all night to withdraw ₦5,000, then queue again for fuel, and still expect them to queue on election day to vote for the same government. That anger was what produced Obi,” Oshiomhole stated.

He recalled interacting with voters during the campaign and said many openly blamed the government for the economic difficulties caused by the cash shortage.

Oshiomhole recounted how a woman in his village complained that she could not withdraw her own savings from the bank and had to pay ₦2,000 in charges to obtain ₦5,000 through a POS operator.

APC not responsible, says senator

Despite acknowledging the hardship Nigerians experienced, Oshiomhole insisted that the controversial policies were not official programmes of the APC.

“I told her what Buhari was doing at that time was not APC policy. It was that anger that influenced the outcome of the election,” he said.

The senator maintained that Peter Obi’s electoral performance reflected an extraordinary political moment rather than evidence that the Labour Party leader poses the greatest threat to the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.