2027: Tinubu May Face Election Rigging Allegations Even If He Wins, Sowunmi Warns 

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson, Segun Sowunmi, has raised concerns about likely post-election controversies that could trail the 2027 presidential election, warning that President Bola Tinubu could face allegations of rigging the election even if he emerges victorious.

Sowunmi gave the warning while assessing Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 presidential election on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The PDP chieftain said the major challenge for Nigeria would not necessarily be determining who wins or loses the election, but how political parties, candidates and their supporters respond to the outcome.

“I pity him (Tinubu) because after he wins, they’re going to start saying he rigged,” Sowunmi said.

He stressed that the ability of political actors to accept the decision of voters would be crucial to preserving peace and stability after the election.

According to him, Nigerians have the constitutional power to choose their leaders through the ballot, and politicians should respect the outcome even when it does not favour them.

“The biggest challenge for the stability of this country going forward is not so much who will win or who will lose, but how they will accept outcomes,” he said.

Sowunmi argued that an election could produce a result contrary to the expectations of a candidate or political party, but such an outcome should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of electoral malpractice.

“Because if you do an election and people can vote for you, they can vote for your rival,” he said.

He warned that persistent rejection of an electoral outcome and efforts to mobilise public anger against a declared winner could undermine national stability.

“And if they do happen to vote for your rival and he wins, if you insist that all you are going to be doing is screaming up and down and instigating the society, how does the winner become the victim of the votes people gave him?” Sowunmi asked.

He urged political parties and their supporters to put national interest above partisan considerations, stressing that candidates who believe an election was compromised should seek redress through lawful and constitutional channels.

Sowunmi maintained that Nigeria’s democratic stability would depend not only on the credibility of the 2027 election but also on the willingness of political actors to accept legitimate outcomes and resolve disputes through established legal processes.