Obi lost 2027 chance the day he left ADC — Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has claimed that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost his chances of winning the 2027 presidential election when he left the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Fayose made the claim during an interview on TVC News’ Politics Tonight on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, while discussing the prospects of opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections. (Punch Newspapers⁠)

According to Fayose, Obi and other opposition politicians had a better chance of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress when they were united under the ADC.

He said Obi’s decision to leave the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, weakened the opposition’s chances of mounting a strong challenge against the APC.

“When they were all together in ADC, I would tell anybody that they will make an impact. The day Obi left ADC for NDC, that day Obi lost,” Fayose said. (Punch Newspapers⁠)

Fayose, however, described Obi as a “fantastic Nigerian” who had made his mark and demonstrated that things could get better.

He maintained that the major problem facing the opposition was its inability to remain united, warning that continued division could work in favour of the ruling party.

“But when opposition, when they don’t come together, they will continue to lose,” he said. (Trending News⁠)

The former governor also argued that Obi’s political strategy was now familiar to his opponents following his performance in the 2023 presidential election, suggesting that the APC would be better prepared for the 2027 contest.

Fayose further said the opposition had gone too far into the electoral process for some candidates to withdraw, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission had already accredited the candidates.

“It’s too late now,” he said. “INEC has accredited everybody.” (Punch Newspapers⁠)

Fayose also projected that President Bola Tinubu could secure a strong advantage in the South-West in the 2027 presidential election, saying the region’s voting pattern and current political alignments could favour the President.

He estimated that Tinubu could secure close to four million votes from the South-West and projected that the President could win about 65 per cent of the vote if the current political alignment remained unchanged. (Punch Newspapers⁠)

Fayose’s comments come as opposition parties and their presidential hopefuls position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.