2027: Oshiomhole Dismisses Peter Obi As APC’s Biggest Threat

Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has dismissed suggestions that the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, poses the biggest political threat to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

Oshiomhole argued that Obi’s strong performance in the 2023 presidential election was largely a product of widespread public anger over the economic policies implemented during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, rather than the former Anambra State governor’s political strength.

The former Edo State governor made the remarks on Monday while appearing on TVC News’ Beyond The Headlines, where he rejected claims that the APC was underestimating Obi’s growing political influence following his victory in Lagos State and strong showing across the South-East in the last presidential election.

“No, not at all, not at all. Obi was produced by an unusual situation when a ruling party decided to destroy itself, making anybody running on its platform almost unelectable. It was that confusion that produced those votes,” Oshiomhole said.

The former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress attributed Obi’s electoral gains to the public frustration caused by the naira redesign policy and the fuel scarcity that preceded the 2023 election.

According to him, many Nigerians were unable to access their own money despite having funds in their bank accounts, leading to widespread dissatisfaction with the government.

“People had money in the bank but couldn’t access it. They queued all night at ATM machines just to withdraw ₦10,000, and after a week, even the ATMs were dry,” he said.

He added that many citizens were forced to rely on Point of Sale (POS) operators, who charged high fees for cash withdrawals during the period.

“Someone asked why people would queue all night to withdraw ₦5,000, then queue again for fuel, and still expect them to queue on election day to vote for the same government. That anger was what produced Obi,” Oshiomhole stated.

The senator maintained that the electorate had already become disillusioned with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the APC government introduced policies that, according to him, worsened economic hardship on the eve of the election.

Recalling his interaction with constituents during the period, Oshiomhole said many blamed the government for the cash shortage and its impact on their livelihoods.

“A woman in my village told me, ‘You said I should keep my money in the bank, but when I went to collect it, they said there was no money. At the PoS, they deducted ₦2,000 from ₦5,000. How do I survive?’”

He insisted that the controversial policies responsible for the hardship were not part of the APC’s political agenda.

“I told her what Buhari was doing at that time was not APC policy. It was that anger that influenced the outcome of the election,” Oshiomhole said.