Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has said the 2027 presidential election will be a straight contest between President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, effectively ruling out a major challenge from former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
In a statement titled “Time for National Reconciliation, Re-Orientation & Reconstruction” shared on his X account, Momodu described the 2027 presidential race as a battle between two political heavyweights.
“The 2027 Presidential election is expected to be a major fight between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his biggest challenger, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. It promises to be the battle of the Titans,” he stated.
Momodu acknowledged that a third-force movement could emerge, similar to what happened in the 2023 election, but argued that such a platform would likely lack the political strength to defeat either Tinubu or Atiku.
“A third force, hopefully, may show up, like it did in 2023, but not with enough fire power and tenacity to upstage, and obliterate, the two elder statesmen,” he said.
His comments are widely seen as downplaying the prospects of Obi, who remains a prominent opposition figure following his performance in the 2023 presidential election.
Beyond the electoral contest, Momodu urged the African Democratic Congress to position itself as a platform capable of uniting experienced politicians and emerging leaders to strengthen national cohesion.
He also warned against growing ethnic and religious divisions in the country’s political space, stressing the need for issue-based politics and national reconciliation.
“The present combustive tensions, and absolute chaos, cannot be allowed to continue. It will consume all of us,” he warned.
Momodu further lamented what he described as the decline of ideology and statesmanship in Nigerian politics, calling for a return to the values championed by leaders such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi Awolowo.