By Seye Oladejo, Lagos APC Chieftain
As the 2027 elections draw closer, Nigeria’s opposition appears increasingly united around one message: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must go.
But there is an inconvenient question that cannot be avoided forever:
Go — and who takes over?
More importantly, what will that government actually do differently?
The opposition has been effective at cataloguing Nigerians’ frustrations: rising living costs, insecurity, unemployment, infrastructure gaps and pressure on household incomes.
Those concerns are real.
But politics cannot stop at identifying pain.
A political party seeking the presidency must present a prescription.
Nigeria does not merely need a government that can describe its problems. It needs one capable of solving them.
Anger Can Win an Election. It Cannot Run a Country.
It is easy to campaign against a government.
It is considerably harder to govern.
A politician standing outside government can promise cheaper fuel, lower taxes, higher wages, more infrastructure, stronger social programmes, a stronger naira and more jobs.
But once elected, the numbers arrive.
Where will the money come from?
What gets cut?
What gets prioritised?
What gets delayed?
What happens when the promises collide with reality?
That is where slogans end and governance begins.
If Tinubu’s Reforms Are Wrong, What Is the Alternative?
Take fuel subsidy removal.
The opposition has criticised the policy and its consequences.
Fair enough.
But Nigerians deserve a clear answer.
Will you restore the subsidy?
If yes, how will you pay for it?
If no, what alternative system will you introduce?
How will you prevent the leakages and distortions associated with the old arrangement?
The same applies to foreign exchange.
If the government’s naira reforms are fundamentally wrong, what is the opposition’s alternative?
How will it increase dollar inflows?
How will it boost exports?
How will it attract investment?
How will it strengthen reserves?
How will it address the underlying imbalance between Nigeria’s demand for dollars and its ability to earn them?
“We will fix the economy” is not a policy.
It is a slogan.
And Nigeria has had enough slogans.
Political Mathematics Is Not Economic Policy
The movements around Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and other opposition figures have produced significant political realignments.
But changing alliances does not automatically create a governing philosophy.
A new coalition does not create jobs.
A new party acronym does not stabilise the naira.
A new presidential ticket does not put food on the table.
And months of negotiations over who gets the ticket do not answer the question of what happens after the ticket wins.
The opposition therefore needs to explain what unites it beyond opposition to Tinubu.
Because “Anybody But Tinubu” may be an effective campaign slogan.
But it is not a governing manifesto.
Nigerians Deserve More Than a Common Enemy
A serious coalition must have a common programme, not merely a common opponent.
Where does it stand on taxation?
Fuel subsidy?
Federalism?
State police?
Local government autonomy?
Electricity?
Agriculture?
Industrialisation?
Digital transformation?
Public debt?
Investment?
Healthcare?
Education?
Security?
And how will it finance all these promises?
These are the questions that should dominate the 2027 election.
Not endless political permutations.
Not who defected from which party.
Not who is negotiating with whom.
Ideas should be the currency of the 2027 election.
The APC Has No Room for Complacency
None of this, however, gives the APC a free pass.
The ruling party must understand that incumbency is not invincibility.
Nigerians will judge the Tinubu administration by results.
The government must continue to cushion the impact of reforms, improve security, strengthen social protection, create opportunities and demonstrate that today’s difficult decisions are producing tomorrow’s stronger economy.
It must also communicate better.
Government cannot expect Nigerians to endure sacrifice without explanation.
Where policies work, government should say so.
Where policies fail, government should admit it and correct course.
Where sacrifices are necessary, government must demonstrate that the burden is fairly shared.
Because ultimately, performance is the best political advertisement any government can have.
2027 Must Be Bigger Than Tinubu
Atiku has a constitutional right to contest.
Obi has a constitutional right to contest.
Kwankwaso and every other qualified candidate have the same right.
Coalitions are legitimate.
Political realignments are legitimate.
Party mergers are legitimate.
That is democracy.
But the Nigerian electorate deserves more than a revolving door of political platforms and presidential calculations.
The question is not simply:
Who will defeat Tinubu?
The question is:
What will you do if you defeat him?
If Tinubu’s economic policies are wrong, show Nigerians the alternative.
If insecurity is being mishandled, publish the alternative security strategy.
If unemployment is unacceptable, show Nigerians the jobs plan.
If poverty is rising, explain how your policies will reverse it.
If corruption remains entrenched, tell Nigerians exactly which institutions you will reform and how.
If Nigeria needs restructuring, define it.
Clearly.
Precisely.
Cost it.
And tell Nigerians how you intend to deliver it.
The Voter Has Moved Beyond Slogans
The Nigerian voter is not as politically unsophisticated as some politicians assume.
The market woman wants affordable food.
The graduate wants employment.
The entrepreneur wants electricity and credit.
The farmer wants security and roads.
The worker wants purchasing power.
The investor wants certainty.
The family wants safety.
The country wants leadership.
Political hashtags cannot deliver these things.
Political arithmetic cannot deliver them.
And political resentment cannot deliver them.
Only policy, competence and execution can.
Bring the Alternative
So, rather than spending the next year simply explaining why Tinubu should leave office, the opposition should answer a much harder question:
Why should Nigerians choose you?
Tell Nigerians what you will do.
Tell them what it will cost.
Tell them where the money will come from.
Tell them how long it will take.
Tell them how you will measure success.
And tell them what you will do when your assumptions prove wrong.
That is the conversation Nigeria needs.
The APC should welcome it.
Let the opposition bring its best ideas.
Let the government defend its record.
Let both sides present their numbers.
Let Nigerians compare.
And let the voters decide.
Because 2027 should not be a referendum on “Tinubu Must Go.”
Nor should it simply be a campaign for “Tinubu Must Stay.”
It should be a contest between competing visions for Nigeria.
If the opposition truly has a better idea, this is its moment.
**Bring it forward.
Nigeria is listening.**
