Anambra State Gov. Charles Soludo said opposition unity may not be enough to unseat Nigeria’s incumbent in 2027, sharpening debate over former Anambra State Gov. Peter Obi’s prospects. Punch and Premium Times reported that Soludo made the remarks in a Nov. 2 BBC News Igbo interview.
Punch’s English account portrayed Soludo as saying that he and Obi remained friends and that their families were on good terms. The outlet also reported that Soludo pointed to their different preferences in the 2021 Anambra governorship election. When asked about his earlier prediction, Punch quoted Soludo saying, “No, no, I didn’t say he wouldn’t win.”
Premium Times described the interview differently, reporting that Soludo stood by his earlier assessment. It said he used a warrior analogy to suggest an incumbent would be harder to defeat. The two outlets therefore presented different readings of how his latest comments relate to his earlier prediction.
In a 2022 essay published under his name, Soludo wrote that Obi “can’t and won’t win.” He argued that Obi’s campaign would draw votes from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and help Bola Tinubu, who later became president, win. The essay presented that outcome as Soludo’s view of how opposition votes could be divided.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded Tinubu with 8,794,726 votes in 2023 and Obi with 6,101,533, a gap of 2,693,193.
INEC’s calendar sets the next presidential election for Jan. 16, 2027. Its final candidate list names Obi for the Nigeria Democratic Congress and President Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress.
