ADO-EKITI — The Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has dismissed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a major threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ambition in 2027, predicting that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will secure victory across all 36 states.
Adeyeye, who also serves as the National Chairman of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), described the ADC as politically weak, citing its alleged lack of grassroots influence, political structure and representation at the state and national levels.
He made the remarks while speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, where he assessed the political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former senator questioned the ADC’s capacity to challenge the APC, noting that the opposition party had no governor in any state and lacked significant representation in the National Assembly and state legislatures.
He also questioned the political strength of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, alleging that he had failed to secure substantial political support in his home state of Adamawa.
According to Adeyeye, the absence of support from the Adamawa State governor and other influential political figures could weaken Atiku’s presidential ambition.
He maintained that challenging an incumbent president required a strong political foundation, particularly in a candidate’s home state.
Adeyeye further said SWAGA was established to strengthen Tinubu’s political support base in the South-West, adding that the president had built a formidable political structure in the region and was expanding his influence nationally.
On the economy, the NPA chairman acknowledged the hardship faced by Nigerians but defended the Tinubu administration’s removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange reforms, arguing that the measures had prevented a deeper economic crisis.
He said the country was already facing serious fiscal challenges before Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, including declining government revenue, fuel scarcity and the rising cost of sustaining fuel subsidies.
Adeyeye argued that although petrol prices had increased, the country had experienced improved access to the product compared with the prolonged scarcity recorded in previous years.
He also maintained that the foreign exchange reforms had improved market transparency, reduced opportunities for arbitrage and strengthened the financial capacity of state governments to meet obligations such as salaries, pensions and gratuities.
The NPA chairman cited the Federal Government’s student loan scheme and increased funding for universities as other measures aimed at reducing financial pressure on households and improving access to education.
Drawing from his experience as a former Pro-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Adeyeye commended Tinubu for addressing longstanding funding challenges in the university system, saying improved funding and remuneration had contributed to industrial peace.
He stressed that sustained stability in the education sector was essential, noting that recurrent strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had disrupted students’ academic activities over the years.
Adeyeye reaffirmed his confidence in Tinubu’s re-election prospects, declaring his readiness to campaign across the country to secure another mandate for the president.
He, however, said he was not in a position to assess the performance of APC governors nationwide, expressing the view that voters would distinguish between the performance of state governments and that of the Federal Government.
He added that increased allocations to states had provided governors with greater financial capacity to execute projects, insisting that Tinubu’s electoral prospects should be assessed independently of individual governors’ performances.