Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has declared that Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi is the only true opposition voice left in Nigeria.
Fayose made the remark during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
He insisted that despite Obi’s growing influence, no one could unseat President Bola Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.
“Tell me, who will defeat the APC?” Fayose asked. “The only opposition that still has traction in Nigeria is Peter Obi.
He remains the only voice that still speaks for the people and maintains public attention despite not being in power.”
Fayose dismissed other opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying Nigerians no longer listen to them.
“Atiku and others are just filling the gap,” he said. “People don’t pay attention to them anymore.”
The former governor’s comments come as top opposition politicians, including Obi, Atiku, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, unite under a new coalition.
The group has reportedly chosen the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform to challenge the APC in 2027.
However, Fayose said the ADC coalition posed no threat to the ruling party. “ADC is going nowhere,” he declared.
“They are our friends, senior and junior colleagues, but the truth is, they don’t stand a chance.”
Fayose reaffirmed his support for President Tinubu but said it was not for personal gain or political favour.
According to him, Tinubu offered him a political appointment, but he declined.
“Asiwaju asked me, ‘Oshoko, what should we give you?’ and I told him, ‘Nothing, sir,’” Fayose revealed. “At 65, I have served well. I was a two-term governor. I would rather live quietly and responsibly than chase positions.”
He stressed that his support for Tinubu did not mean he was part of the APC, but that their friendship dated back many years.
On the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Fayose said the party was beyond redemption.
He claimed most PDP governors were already planning to defect and insisted that Tinubu should not be blamed for their exit.
“The PDP is dead,” he said. “I won’t be part of those trying to resurrect it. The defections of Enugu’s Peter Mbah and Bayelsa’s Douye Diri were not Tinubu’s fault. Those governors made their choices.”
Fayose’s statements underline the growing divisions within Nigeria’s opposition bloc ahead of the 2027 elections, with many analysts warning that internal rifts could weaken the challenge against the APC.