Anthony Ehilebo, Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication to Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2027 Presidential Campaign, has dismissed the APC’s claim that Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Seyi Makinde and Donald Duke are no match for President Bola Tinubu, saying the President should be more worried about Nigerians than opposition politicians.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, had declared that the opposition figures were no match for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, citing the administration’s achievements in infrastructure and other sectors.
He made the remarks while receiving members of the Forum of APC House of Representatives Aspirants at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Speaking with Vanguard, Ehilebo challenged Tinubu to campaign in Kaduna and defend his administration’s record, arguing that economic hardship and the state of public infrastructure would be major issues in the 2027 election.
“If the President is not afraid, he should come out and go to Kaduna on 24 October to campaign. Then he will see what Nigerians will tell him.
“If he believes he has performed well, I double-dare him to go to Kaduna and declare that he wants to run for a second term,” Ehilebo added.
He insisted that the coming election would be a contest between the ruling party and the Nigerian electorate, not simply a battle against individual opposition figures.
“The election is not between us and the APC, or between the APM and the APC. It is the APC versus Nigerians.
“The APC will simply line up, and it will be facing 240 million Nigerians, plus the 49.7 per cent of the population that has been plunged into extreme multidimensional poverty. Those are the people they will meet at the polling units,” he said.
Questioning Tinubu’s record in education, healthcare and road infrastructure, Ehilebo challenged the President to name major projects delivered by his administration.
“Since President Tinubu came to power, which university has he built? Name one university. Jonathan built six before he left office.
“Can you tell me one general hospital that Tinubu has built since he became President? Which road has he repaired?” he asked.
Ehilebo also criticised the administration’s spending priorities, faulting its approach to the coastal highway project while other roads remained in need of attention.
“He decided to spend N15 trillion to please his friends by embarking on a coastal highway that nobody is demanding. Now, he says he wants to divert attention back to the East-West Road, which he should have completed first,” he said.
Citing petrol prices, Ehilebo argued that the economic realities facing Nigerians contradicted the assurances Tinubu gave at his inauguration.
“Petrol is now selling at N1,410, despite the assurances the President gave Nigerians in his inaugural address on 29 May 2023,” he said.
He maintained that public dissatisfaction, rather than the perceived strength or weakness of individual challengers, should concern the President.
“The President should be afraid of Nigerians,” Ehilebo said.
Looking ahead to the election, he predicted that voters would hold Tinubu accountable at the polls, using a food analogy to drive home his point.
“I have told everybody that on 16 January, Nigerians will serve Tinubu his food. Similarly, Nigerians will collectively cook for Tinubu to eat on 16 January 2027,” he added
