“Tinubu too strong to beat in 2027” – Reno Omokri tells opposition parties

Former presidential aide and ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has said opposition parties are “delusional” to think they can defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Omokri said the opposition failed to defeat Tinubu in 2023 when he had the backing of about 20 All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, arguing that the task has become more difficult now that the president allegedly enjoys the support of around 30 governors.

He described the decision by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to dump the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a major political turning point that has altered the balance of power in Kano State.

Omokri said Kano, which recorded the highest voter turnout in the 2023 presidential election, was lost by Tinubu largely because he was not the incumbent.

“All of those dynamics have changed, and they have changed in favour of the president,” he said.

Omokri said although NNPP leaeder, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso may be unhappy with Yusuf’s political move, he is not opposed to Tinubu and is unlikely to support another presidential aspirant.

“Even as he is disappointed that Governor Abba Yusuf left his party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is not necessarily against the president, and he is certainly not for any other aspirant,” he said.

He said most governors are either openly or quietly satisfied with the Tinubu administration because the removal of fuel subsidies and the increase in federal allocations have eased financial pressures on their states.

“Their main issue before May 29, 2023, was a lack of funds to run their states, and by removing fuel subsidies and almost tripling federal allocations, President Tinubu solved that problem,” Omokri said.

He described opposition calls to reverse the subsidy removal as politically self-defeating.

“That automatically means states will receive less federal funding if those aspirants win in 2027, and no governor in his right mind will support that,” he said.

Citing revenue figures, Omokri said Kano received about ₦3.1 billion as statutory allocation in August 2022 but got ₦24.63 billion in February 2025, while local governments in the state received ₦20.4 billion.

Omokri also pointed to what he described as macroeconomic gains under Tinubu, including lower inflation, higher foreign reserves, reduced debt, and growth in gross domestic product.

“This type of macroeconomic progress does not happen by accident; it comes strategically and is the result of good leadership,” he said.

He claimed the International Monetary Fund recently acknowledged the impact of the administration’s policies.

“On January 20, 2026, the IMF said Nigeria’s macroeconomic reforms are beginning to yield results,” Omokri said.

He concluded that Tinubu has united the political class by delivering on key campaign promises and is well positioned for re-election.