By Damilare Adeleye
A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that a higher number of opposition contenders will ultimately strengthen the President’s re-election bid.
Jibrin, who represents the Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Toda amid increasing political realignments and early permutations ahead of the next general elections.
His comments come as opposition figures and political parties intensify consultations over possible alliances aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
In recent months, discussions around coalition-building have gained momentum, with several opposition leaders calling for a united front against the APC, similar to the alliance that led to the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election.
Despite those moves, Jibrin insisted that the opposition remains fragmented and lacks the cohesion required to mount a serious challenge against Tinubu.
“The more they increase in number and come out to contest, the better the chances of Tinubu. The simple dynamics that would have given us a little sleepless night is if the opposition had all come together to do exactly what was done in 2015,” he said.
The lawmaker recalled how opposition forces successfully united ahead of the 2015 election to back former President Muhammadu Buhari under the APC platform.
“He made sure the opposition were tied under one umbrella. You are not having that today,” Jibrin added.
Describing Tinubu as a world-class leader, the Kano lawmaker praised the leadership structure within the APC, saying the party has demonstrated uncommon stability under the President.
“Tinubu is a leader with all the qualities that you can look at and call someone a world-class leader. Look at the way our party has been managed. For the first time, you have a national party where you can clearly see there is strong leadership at the centre,” he said.
Jibrin also commended Tinubu’s speech during the APC presidential primary, describing it as one of the President’s best public addresses.
“In my own personal opinion, and I always say this, I believe it is one of the best speeches that he has presented. I advise his media handlers to print that speech in different languages and let it get to the grassroots because, in summary, he captured everything about his mission, politics, and democracy itself,” he added.
Responding to criticisms surrounding the conduct of the APC primaries, including allegations of irregular vote counting, Jibrin dismissed the concerns as isolated incidents that should not overshadow the overall exercise.
“When you want to draw conclusions, you look at facts,” he said. “If you have a one-off situation, what you are mentioning about counting was seen in how many places? One place out of 99. I don’t think you should give that so much publicity.”
He insisted that Tinubu enjoyed widespread support across the country during the party primaries and expressed optimism that this support would be replicated in the general election.
“You saw the primaries from Kano to Jigawa, to Abeokuta, to Akwa Ibom, to Cross River, to Delta, to Plateau, to Benue, to Borno. You saw massive crowds coming out to vote for the President in the primaries, and that will be replicated in the presidential election,” he stated.
Jibrin also argued that Tinubu’s political position has strengthened since the 2023 election, citing defections into the APC, endorsements by party stakeholders, and ongoing reforms by the Federal Government.
“In 2023, I wasn’t even in this party. So, we are now in this party. That tells you something,” he noted. “A lot of projects are going on. Wide-ranging reforms are going on. Those who choose not to see, we have no problem with them. But I tell you that the majority of the people of this country are seeing the good work of the President.”