Bwala to Atiku: Tinubu will defeat you again — your stateless coalition stands no chance

Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, has said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar would lose again in the 2027 presidential election.

Bwala made the remark in response to comments by Abubakar during an appearance on Arise TV, where the former vice-president said the 2027 poll would be his final attempt at the presidency.

Abubakar, who has contested multiple times and appeared on the presidential ballot in 2007, 2019, and 2023, also expressed confidence in a growing opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He said any candidate backed by the coalition could defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Reacting via a post on X, Bwala dismissed the ADC coalition, describing it as a gathering of “aggrieved stateless leaders”.

He said it was likely Abubakar would emerge as the coalition’s presidential candidate but insisted Tinubu would defeat him again, just as he did in 2023.

“My former boss said with a coalition candidate, President Tinubu is dead on arrival. But we know you are the coalition candidate,” Bwala wrote.

He added that Tinubu had already defeated Abubakar in 2023 when the former vice-president had the backing of governors and political structures, arguing that those same structures are now aligned with the president.

“With a coalition of aggrieved ‘stateless’ leaders, I doubt if President Tinubu would even need to check the scoreboard,” he said.