The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Peter Ameh has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is intensely fearful of only one opposition figure as the 2027 presidential election approaches: Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.
Speaking on The Micon Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye on Monday, Ameh claimed the government is actively working to ensure Obi does not appear on the ballot in 2027, describing him as the sole contender perceived as a genuine threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We are not just running elections and making speculation out of the blue,” Ameh said. “We collect data and conduct extensive engagements behind closed doors.
From everything we have seen, the only person this government does not want on the ballot is Peter Obi. They are doing everything possible.”
Ameh pointed to repeated social media attacks on Obi by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, as evidence of the administration’s anxiety.
“Go and count how many times Bayo Onanuga has posted about Peter Obi on his Twitter page,” he urged.
“They are worried. They don’t say anything without mentioning Peter Obi.”
The CUPP secretary insisted that President Tinubu harbours no similar concern about other prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or ex-Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi.
“Tinubu is not afraid of Atiku or Rotimi Amaechi. It is on record; they know it. There is a high level of fear only for Peter Obi,” Ameh declared.
He cited Obi’s performance in the 2023 election as proof of the former Anambra governor’s disruptive potential, noting that Obi secured significant votes in Lagos Tinubu’s political stronghold and won the Federal Capital Territory despite alleged irregularities.
“It took Peter Obi to garner about one million votes in Lagos, later reduced to 500,000. It took Peter Obi to defeat the APC at the seat of power in the FCT,” Ameh said, contrasting this with the PDP’s repeated failure to unseat Tinubu in Lagos even when it controlled federal power between 1999 and 2015.
