Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari, fresh off an overseas trip and just a day after being named Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, dropped a bombshell at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He didn't just say he expects the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the 2027 elections; he boldly projected the party's dominance well beyond that, into 2031. This wasn't your typical campaign cheerleading; it was Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, attempting to set the political tone for years to come. It's already got the opposition fuming.
Normally, a campaign director just stating the obvious – that their candidate will win – wouldn't be news. It's practically part of the job description. But Yari’s statement went a step further. By talking about the APC's future past Tinubu's potential second term, he was trying to signal a longer-term, almost unstoppable reign for the ruling party. That’s what has the opposition parties seeing red.
The whole point isn't really about whether Yari believes Tinubu will get re-elected – that's a given for his role. The real kicker is what this kind of powerful projection does in a political scene where simply looking like you're winning can actually help you win. In Nigeria, perception is often king. Politicians pay close attention to the direction of political winds. Potential defectors size up where the next big opportunities might be.
Those funding parties try to figure out which structure has the best shot. Potential candidates weigh if it’s even worth their time and money to challenge a seemingly unbeatable force.
A party that looks like it's already won can gather serious momentum. Conversely, a party that appears to be on its way out might start losing its own confidence, its allies, and its financial backing, sometimes even before the actual voting starts.
This might explain why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) didn't just brush Yari's statement aside as the usual campaign bluster. The PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, suggested Yari was getting ahead of himself. He advised Yari to focus on his new assignment rather than talking about 2031. "At the moment, he should focus more on how he can deliver on the mandate given to him before talking about 2031," Mohammed told Vanguard.
The PDP's response was a careful move to reject the psychological strategy behind Yari's declaration. They don't want to accept the idea that the opposition is already out of the race, or that the outcome is already decided. Mohammed was quite clear: "As to whether the opposition has already conceded 2027 to Mr President or is even conceding power to the APC beyond 2031, no, no, no, not at all," he insisted. It wasn't just about correcting Yari; it was about stopping the APC from gaining the psychological upper hand that comes with appearing to have already won the election before the real campaign has even kicked off.
The ADC, however, decided to take the fight a step further, not just targeting Yari but questioning the very foundation of the APC's supposed long-term strength. Their National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, told Vanguard that Yari was likely just trying to impress his new bosses. "He’s one of those lying to the President. We understand he needs to justify his new appointment," Abdullahi said. He then broadened the attack to include the APC itself, humorously recalling the PDP's old boast of ruling Nigeria for 80 years. "At least, the PDP was a real political party, not this SPV," he added. This jab, calling the APC a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), is more than just an insult.
It's the ADC's attempt to dismantle the core of the APC's claim to enduring political power. They’re essentially saying that controlling power for a while isn't the same as having genuine, deep-rooted political strength.
Senator David Mark, the National Chairman of the ADC, amplified this counter-narrative through his media aide, Kola Ologbondiyan. Ologbondiyan dismissed Yari’s 2031 projection as mere "wishful thinking" and completely out of sync with political realities. Mark's more strategic move was to question the APC's actual message to voters. "APC and its president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have no message to present to Nigerian voters. How can he fathom a win in an election where they can’t communicate with the people?" he asked, challenging the ruling party's substance.
Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari, a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, previously served as the governor of Zamfara State from 2011 to 2019. He has held significant positions within the ruling APC, making his appointment as the Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 general elections a notable one. His recent comments about the APC's future beyond 2031 have drawn considerable attention, particularly given the sensitive nature of political forecasting and campaign strategies.
The opposition's swift and sharp reactions highlight the importance of psychological warfare in Nigerian politics. By projecting an image of unwavering dominance, Yari aimed to influence the calculations of various political actors, from voters and financiers to potential defectors and aspirants. The counter-arguments from the PDP and ADC demonstrate their determination to challenge this narrative and prevent the APC from capitalizing on a perceived inevitability.