By Our Correspondent
Senator Uche Ekwunife has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will defeat a former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, in the 2027 presidential election, even if Obi contests on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Ekwunife who spoke to journalists in Awka, Anambra State acknowledged Obi’s popularity, particularly in Anambra State, but stressed that President Tinubu also enjoys wide support nationwide.
She said Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy where party loyalty matters, noting that as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), she is working for the party’s victory in 2027.
The senator and two-time member of the House of Representatives said that despite Obi’s influence, he would not “see Tinubu’s back at the poll,” adding that the APC is moving at an accelerated pace and that the 2027 election would end in victory for President Tinubu, whom she believes will lead Nigeria to a better future.
“I cannot dismiss the possible influence of Obi in Anambra State. Obi is someone that is well loved. Okay! President Tinubu is equally well loved. And we are practicing constitutional democracy; democracy where you support the political party you belong to. I am a member of the APC. I work for APC. I want APC to win and APC will win.
“But I believe that the way APC is moving now, it is at a very, very accelerated speed. In 2027, the election will not just be a walkover, the election will be done, President Tinubu will win and Nigeria will be better.”
Speaking on the November 8 Anambra governorship election, where she ran as deputy governorship candidate to Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu on the APC platform, Ekwunife alleged that she received no financial support from the party.
She claimed she funded her campaign personally amid widespread vote-buying by other parties, while APC, according to her, failed to provide adequate institutional support.
“Nobody gave me N1 for that election. Every money that I spent in that election came from my pocket. I was told, probably I don’t know; maybe the party didn’t bring money because I didn’t see money.
“They said no money was released. In Anambra, you know that vote buying was the order of the day. Some people paid as high as N50,000 for one vote. Some paid N25,000; N30,000 for each vote.
“But APC did not bring N1 for anything. From what I heard, they brought N94 million for agents. You get what I mean? That’s not how to run elections. Probably, something must have happened.
” I don’t know what happened. But I thank God that they all came out for that election. And I pray that by the special grace of God that the coming election will not be like the last one. I believe that there will be strong support for the party. Winning elections is not just about money. It is about institutional support. Money is the last thing when it comes to elections.”
Despite the outcome, Ekwunife said she remains committed to the APC and called for unity, noting that politics should be about putting the people first.
