By joshua 
As the battle for 2027 tightens
By Emman Gwatana
Like a dream 2026 is here. And for political gladiators 2026 is so crucial because it is a year some political parties will hold their Congresses. It is also a year parties by electoral laws of the country would have to hold their primary elections for political offices in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
Welcome 2026. No dull moment for Nigeria politicians seeking political offices in next year’s general elections.
2925 saw the mass exodus of political big wigs from what use to be a strong opposition party – the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress. The governors started the movement and the law makers at the National and State Assembly followed suit in deserting a party which provided a platform for the current position they are occupying. Hate it or like it today it is called politics of interest.
Not so in America and Britain where Nigeria and other Africa countries copied the tutelage of democracy. In developed democracies political ideologies form the fulcrum of political parties. It is the ideological base of the paries that stand as the base of its individual/group followership. It is therefore hard to see a core Democrat in America turning to a Republican overnight. Same to the Britons, it is very rare to see a Labour Party member jump ship to the Conservative Party in a twinkle of an eye.
Democracies in Britain, America and France tend to flourish with large acceptance by the people because its base has its root on solid ideological base. It is however believed that gradually Nigeria will soon catch up with the core values of democracy. Nigeria is evolving in its democratic system, all that is needed for politicians in the country is to keep consolidating on its values and gains.
As it is now some political parties would soon organize her Congresses. The outcome of it may lead to some alignment and re-alignment among the politicians in their various parties. It is often believed that party Executives have much to influence on party primary elections. It is this believe more than anything else that often make party Congresses a theatre of political tantrum. Between February and April this year a lot of inhouse fighting within the political parties for the election of party Executives will take the centre stage.
Sofar so good the All Progressives Congress APC and the African Democratic Party ADC have released their time table for party Congresses which is likely to hold between February and March. The successes of the Congresses will to a large extent define the path way of these parties on her preparations for primary elections later in the year.
While the electoral laws guiding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stipulates that no individual or group of persons should embark on campaigns untill the electoral body declared so, our politicians have fallen short of this creed . As soon as the 2023 general elections were over and hardly have the elected politicians settled in office, open campaigns for 2027 were heralded. Today there are open campaigns for politicians seeking elective offices for 2027 general elections. This is an abberation of the electoral laws but who cares and who can stop it?
The battle for 2027 electoral offices started long ago. What’s more? Rice has become a casualty in this business of politicians wooing the electorates of various constituencies for the 2027 electoral offices. Each of the Moslem and Christian festive seasons is often flooded with gifts latched with the undertone of wooing the electorates for an elective position. Grinding,, Hair dressing, Barbing, tailoring machines are all used as booby traps to woo the electorates for an elective positions. That is Nigeria politics and at the end we all be victims of its nemesis.
At the close of year 2025, former Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi finally defected to the African Democratic Congress. It became a big news in the country because he has for long being hobnobbing between the Labour Party and the ADC.
Obi who has openly rejected a Vice Presidential slot to Atiku Abubakar must sure be preparing to slog it out with Atiku Abubakar in the forth coming Presidential primary elections of ADC . I bet you Nigerians can’t wait to see the outcome of the primary elections.
At the beginning of 2025, Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde voiceforously made his intention to contest the 2027 Presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) known. In the last quarter of 2025, Makinde was caught in the web of conducting the national PDP’s Congress. By August 2025 the Congress was conducted with new national officials of the party. No sooner has the officials settled than a faction loyal to Nyesom Wike came up with its own National Executives. Chaos became the order of the day in the party with both factions claiming the leadership of the party. Suspension and counter suspension of big wigs of the party became the order of the day from both factions. It was that bad.
Towards the end of 2025 the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC came up with a sledgehammer denouncing the Makinde led Congress held in Ibadan. INEC’s outburst placed PDP in a turpsy turvy situation. As at press time there still remains a thin line in the proper placement of PDP in Nigeria’s political space. Could this be the reason Makinde’s Presidential ambition appears not to be making waves for now? You may wish to find out.
The ruling All Progressives Congress APC is making waves by the day with a surge in the defection of governors, National and State Assembly members by every passing month. This significant development appeared to be making the ruling party have an edge over other political parties in the country.
On the outcry by the opposition that Nigeria is tilting towards a one party state, it appeared most political critics in the country are not aware that apart from APC and PDP there are over thirty parties in the country registered with INEC. If this is the case, the outcry of a one party system does not hold water. Each registered party with INEC should follow the way of APC by making concerted efforts to woo more members into their fold.
Lets not forget Rivers State on the quest to claim the governorship seat in 2027. Just as political tumult arose in the early part of 2025 to the later days of that year, it has also been seen that towards late year, Rivers State is in the news again all in a struggle to gain the control of the state. The leading gladiators as usual are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the governor of the state, Siminlaye Fubara.
In recent days both Wike and Fubara have kept throwing political tantrum on each other. At a public function in Ahoada, Wike openly said Fubara should not take him for a fool as far as the 2027 governorship election is concerned in Rivers State. Using an analogy, Fubara on the other hand said Wike was just barking and that he has the full grip of the state apparatus. This political grandstanding on both sides of the divided appeared to be setting a stage for the 2027 governorship election in the state.
Only recently Governor Fubara held a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. On returning from the meeting to Portharcourt, Governor Fubara immediately announced his defection to the ruling APC. Some political Analyst believed President Tinubu might have promised Fubara a second term in office hence the speed to which he defected to APC. It is the rumour of Fubara’s alleged promise of a second term in office that rattled Wike who has now decided to sharpen his political arsenals through the creeks of Rivers State.
As at press time majority of the Rivers State House of Assembly members are said to be in the pocket of Wike. Only recently the Assembly members accused Fubara of spending State funds without appropriation a move they said is an impeachable offense. During the yuletide, the Assembly members were said to have returned to government coffers about one hundred thousand naira each given to them by Fubara for Christmas celebration.
Intrestingly, Rivers State would continue to remain in the news either for good or bad even as the year progresses.
In Kano state, there is a growing political disaffection between Rabiu Musa Kwankwoso, leader of the Kwankwansiya movement and the governor of Kano state, Abba Yusuf. Recently Yusuf held a meeting with with Muhammad Ganduje former National Chairman of the APC which many observed to be a move for the governor to defect to the ruling APC. The meeting was said to have irked Kwankwoso who never hid his grouse against the recent moves of governor Yusuf.
Last week Kwankwoso held a meeting with his supporters in his country home in Kano. At the meeting Kwankwoso was said to have voiced his grouse on the move by governor Yusuf to defect to the ruling APC. He clearly told his supporters to tell the governor to stop such move.
Kwankwoso made it clear that any party that is asking for his realignment must offer him a Presidential or a Vice-Presidential slot. Some saw such pronouncement as very mean for the status of the Kwankwansiya leader.
From APC, PDP, NNPP, ADC, ACCORD party to all other registered political parties in the country, 2026 will definitely be the open field for the relay match of 2027 general elections.
We watch to see