A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ibrahim Modibbo, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be defeated in the 2027 presidential election long before the close of voting on election day.

Modibbo made the assertion while appearing on AIT’s Democracy Today programme on Friday night, where he expressed strong confidence in the electoral prospects of the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The ADC chieftain argued that Atiku possesses the political experience, nationwide structure and support base required to unseat Tinubu when Nigerians return to the polls in 2027.

According to Modibbo, no politician, including the incumbent president, currently has the political strength to match Atiku in the presidential contest.

“Atiku is one politician today that can’t be rivalled by any politician including the president.

“Let me repeat again, President Bola Tinubu will be defeated before 8 o’clock on the day of the election,” he said.

The declaration comes as political parties and their candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with Tinubu seeking re-election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while Atiku is expected to fly the ADC flag.

Tinubu and Atiku have previously faced each other in Nigeria’s presidential contests.

In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu, then the APC candidate, defeated Atiku, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate.

Tinubu secured more than eight million votes to emerge victorious, with Atiku finishing second and Obi third.

However, the ADC has maintained that the political dynamics ahead of the 2027 election are different and that Atiku has the capacity to defeat Tinubu without relying on a broad opposition coalition.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, had said in August that the ADC was confident of winning the presidential election and did not require a coalition with other opposition parties to achieve victory.

“We are going to win. We don’t need a coalition to win this election. The African Democratic Congress does not need a coalition to win this election,” Abdullahi said.

He also expressed confidence in Atiku’s ability to defeat Tinubu without depending on the support of other opposition parties.

“I believe so, and that’s our thinking, and that’s what we are working on,” he said when asked whether Atiku could defeat Tinubu on his own.