2027 polls: As the clock ticks…

Constitutionally, in Nigeria, electioneering officially starts 150 days to an election. With a few months to the campaigns ahead of the 2027 polls, pundits in the political firmament are of the views that the coming general elections is no longer a future conversation, but a reality that is already staring us in the face.

From party secretariats in Abuja, Lagos, and state capitals, the war rooms have been opened; high-level alignments and re-alignments are now everyday news and, of course, defections across party lines have become the order of the day. Most of the party chairmen, as it were, are constantly meeting donors in order to meet their financial challenges, just as groups, party loyalists, canvassers, mobilisers and foot-soldiers are being built ward by ward.

While parties are honing their strategies aimed at winning elections, there are also on-going digital campaigns and alliance talks among high- ranking political actors. Some parties that can afford it have gone as far as hiring foreign consulting and Public Relations firms as a way of repositioning ahead of time.

APC: Consolidating, expanding

As the governing party, APC’s strategy is consolidation. Sources say the focus is on “delivery politics” tying federal projects to 2027 votes. The party is also re-building in the states it lost in 2023, especially in the North-west and South-east. A key task force has been set up to manage defections and to prevent a repeat of the internal crisis that almost cost them in the last cycle.

A few weeks ago, thousands of supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu converged on Abuja under the umbrella of the Tinubu Mega Group (TMG), declaring that there is “no vacancy in Aso Rock” ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The rally, which drew participants from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), included professionals, civil society organisations, youth associations, women groups, traders, artisans, grassroots mobilisers, and religious leaders.

The TMG’s national spokesperson, Tijani Ali Danjuma, said the rally reflected the collective resolve of Nigerians “who believe in continuity, stability, and national progress.”

He said the Tinubu administration has shown courage in confronting long-standing national problems through reforms and infrastructure development.

Citing on-going road and infrastructure projects, renewed investments in local refining, economic stabilisation efforts, social intervention programmes, and measures aimed at improving local governance and attracting investment, the student loan programme, strengthening of the Naira, improved food production, among others, Danjuma said those initiatives have helped in repositioning the economy for a long-term growth.

PDP: Rebuilding, restrategising

After two straight losses, the party spent the entire 2025 on instituting reconciliation committees and engaging a new membership drive. The goal, according to top sources at the party’s secretariat, is to return to its “grassroots machine” ward executives, women leaders, and youth mobilisers.

The party, Blueprint Weekend’s findings revealed, is courting its foundational members, stalwarts, and chieftains to fortify its strength as virtually all its governors have been poached by other political parties ahead of the big contest.

Despite the not-too-impressive disposition of a former president to the ticket that offered him a chance to take another short at the presidency, the Kabiru Turaki-led camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not given up on him.

A few days ago, the party, consisting INWC and BoT and others, stormed his Abuja residence, where they held a private meeting with him.

The party and the former president are yet to officially speak on the meeting’s outcome, but a credible source said it was a follow-up to the need for Goodluck ebele Jonathan to fly the party’s flag in 2027.

Meanwhile, a former lawmaker, Senator Sandy Onor, who emerged as the party’s presidential candidate from the Abdulrahman Mohammed version of the party, has intensified clandestine consultations and preparations ahead of the contest.

Backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Senator Onor who formally declared his intention has pledged to restore the party’s glory and reposition the country for greater prosperity.

Speaking at the PDP national headquarters after obtaining his expression of interest and nomination forms, Onor described the PDP as a “legacy institution” with a proven track record in strengthening democracy and national development.

 “We have overcome our worst anxieties and challenges. We have seen vicissitudes, weathered the storms, and emerged stronger. If given the mandate, we will lead this party to even greater glory,” he said.

Onor promised a people-centered leadership approach, stressing that “Nigerians remain at the heart” of his vision for governance. He added that the PDP was poised to deliver what he described as “exponential greatness” for the country.

Addressing internal party disputes, the aspirant dismissed claims of a lingering legal ambiguity, insisting that judicial pronouncements up to the Supreme Court have settled contentious issues.

He also responded to concerns over the stance of the FCT minister, who has publicly backed President Tinubu for a second term.

According to Onor, while Wike remains a key figure in the party, his personal political choices do not determine the PDP’s direction.

“Wike is a leader of the party, but he is not the leader of the party. His support for the president is his personal decision and does not reflect the position of the PDP,” he said.

Labour Party: Still a movement

The Labour Party (LP) shocked Nigeria in 2023, but the rest, as they say, has become history.

Fast forward to 2026, party leaders admit that they have passion, but no structure and ward offices. For 2027, unconfirmed reports have it that they plan to build from the bottom by recruiting tech-savvy youths to run digital war rooms and are targeting first-time voters aged from 18-25.

Battled-weary political analysts are of the view that it is unlikely that the party can get over the protracted internal leadership disputes that has held the party down, describing the factionalisation furore that has led to the Mrs. Nenadi Usman and Julius Abure brouhaha that has held the party by the jugular as a “big setback.”

ADC: Who’ll rescue it?

For some months now, the party has been battling internal divisions, endless litigations amongst aggrieved and political actors within as well as uncoordinated efforts towards 2027 battle.

Recently, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who fell out with the party’s presidential candidate and party’s hierarchy,  Babachir Lawal, predicted that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would lose the 2027 election, describing it as a “personal prayer” rather than an evidence-based assessment. The duo went their separate ways after an unresolved party internal crisis, where party elders appear to pitch tents with their preferred personalities.

But while dismissing Babachir’s predictions, the Special Adviser to the ADC National Chairman on Research, Policy and Strategy, Chille Igbawua, said Lawal’s prediction lacked any factual or analytical basis.

“I think the statement that this projection need not be commented upon is a right one. When you just say you are praying – as a matter of prayer, everyone has a right to pray – he said, ‘I pray he loses. He will surely lose. I pray he loses.’ That is not a scientific approach to a projection that you can argue against.

NDC: The waiting game is on

Basking in the euphoria of a successful presidential primary, the national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, a few weeks ago, called for an open and transparent democratic process, urging authorities to allow all political parties to freely participate in the elections without intimidation or interference.

“Allow every party that wants to contest. You can only defeat them in an electoral contest. So, let us have a free and fair election,” he said.

Also speaking, theOyo state leader of the party, Raimi Baale, declared that NDC was a party to beat in the 2027 general elections.

Baale, who is the founder and leader of Raimi Baale Campaigners (RBC), stressed that the governing APC should be ready for a serious battle for the leadership of the country in the 2027 general elections.