Faisal Salisu DambattaIn Nigerian politics, opposition parties have popularized a vague phrase The 2027 election will be between the APC and Nigerians.” The statement implies that all non-APC supporters are Nigerians,while APC members are excluded.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has repeatedly used it, stressing that defections by governors and lawmakers to APC are irrelevant because ordinary citizens, along with hunger, poverty, and insecurity, will decide the 2027 outcome.
Other opposition figures, like PDP’s Mazi Dickson Iroegbu and ADC’s Bolaji Abdullahi, have echoed this view, saying that defecting governors have abandoned Nigerians.Even Babachir Lawal, formerly of APC and now with ADC, used the same phrasing, framing the election as Nigeria versus the APC.
Critics say this reflects the opposition’s weakness: political parties should offer real policy alternatives and a credible government-in-waiting, not rely on the abstract concept of Nigerians.
A related recurring claim is that the APC aims to create a one-party state. In response, 17 prominent Nigerians issued a statement in 2025 titled Defending Democracy A Call to Resist the March Toward a One-Party State in Nigeria.
