In typical blunt fashion, former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai has warned that the 2027 presidential election could slip into a second round — and that President Bola Tinubu may not survive it.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, el-Rufai painted a sobering picture: the ruling APC, despite its hold on power, may not deliver a first-round victory. “I did the maths, I did the analysis,” he said. “At best, Tinubu will place third. He has no pathway to win.”
El-Rufai, once a chief campaigner for Tinubu, was unsparing. He argued that voters in 2027 will look beyond political affiliations and party switches, focusing instead on tangible performance. For him, reliance on incumbency or state power is no guarantee of survival — a lesson Jonathan learned in 2015.
It was both a critique and a cautionary tale. El-Rufai, now outside the APC fold, has positioned himself as one of the loudest voices challenging the president’s political strategy.
