Zainab Galadima: 2027 will be Tinubu’s toughest battle — he may get only 30% of northern votes

Zainab Galadima, daughter of Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says President Bola Tinubu may secure only 30 percent votes from the north in the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking in an interview on the ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, a journalist with Channels Television, Zainab said the 2027 election would be Tinubu’s most difficult political contest yet.

She added that the growing opposition forces and the level of discontent in the north would make the president’s re-election bid more challenging.

“Honestly, I don’t have good reviews (from northerners about Tinubu). It’s really bad. Tinubu may get, maybe, 30 percent or less,” she said.

“It’s going to be worse than the 2023 elections. The chances of Tinubu winning the 2027 election is going to be the toughest battle that he will ever see.

“It’s going to be the toughest because this coalition, as much as I don’t understand what they are doing, but anybody that sees them knows that we need to sit up.”

Zainab served as a technical assistant on sustainable development goals (SDGs) projects in the office of the vice-president during the first term of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

On Friday, Galadima said the opposition coalition is a positive step for democracy in Nigeria.

The NNPP chieftain said all citizens concerned about the country’s future should support the alliance, adding that the coalition merits public backing given the current state of affairs in Nigeria.

Last week, the coalition adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform and announced a new leadership structure ahead of the next year’s polls.

The coalition made up of prominent opposition figures is working to unseat Tinubu in the next presidential election.

Among the coalition leaders are former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Rotimi Amaechi, ex-transportation minister; Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election; and Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna.