The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties Peter Ameh has stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is increasingly concerned about the rising political strength of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as preparations toward the 2027 elections continue.
Ameh spoke during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on The Micon Podcast. He explained that the government is taking deliberate steps to stop Obi from appearing on the ballot. He said his comments are supported by data collection and engagements carried out “behind closed doors” which show that Obi is the only candidate the government views as a serious challenge.
Ameh also claimed that presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has consistently targeted Obi on social media. He noted that other possible contenders including Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi are not seen by the administration as major concerns. According to Ameh the growing popularity of Obi is the real focus of the political establishment.
He said “We are not just running election and just making speculation out of the blues. We also collect data, do a lot of engagement. I just came back from a journey I told you. So these are the things we do behind closed doors. And we know what is there, and we know that the only person that this government does not want to be on the ballot is Peter Obi. They are doing everything.”
Ameh further said “Go and count how many times Bayo Onanuga has posted about Peter Obi on his Twitter page. He’s worried about Peter Obi. They’re worried. They don’t talk anything without talking about Peter Obi.”
He added that “Tinubu is not afraid of Atiku and Rotimi Amaechi. It’s on record, they know it. There’s a high level of fear.”
Reflecting on past elections Ameh said “We got into democracy in 1999. The PDP did everything to defeat Bola Tinubu in Lagos. They couldn’t. They did everything. They brought federal might. They could not.”
He noted the significance of Obi’s recent electoral performance and said “It took the Mr Peter Obi to garner about 1 million votes that was reduced to 500000 votes. It took a Peter Obi to come to FCT where there was seat of power to defeat the APC.”
