The All Progressives Congress has expressed conviction that President Bola Tinubu will be re-elected in 2027 despite the economic hardship and planned alliance between mega opposition parties.

The lingering economic hardship resulting from ongoing reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira has given rise to palpable fear that Nigerians may vote out Tinubu in 2027.

But the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the ruling party, Nze Chidi Duru, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said the ongoing reforms had to come into play to steady the sinking ship of the economy.

He said, “Our party has always recognised the fact that the current challenging economic environment has not in any way got better. When Mr President took over, he asked Nigerians not to pity him. It is an office that he craved and worked hard for before offering himself to provide leadership to Nigeria.

“What gives confidence is that Mr President is very much aware of the expectations of the person on the street. The minimum expectation will be that they need to be comfortable. So, the discussion around 2027 (election) is not out of place. In the life of a country, four years is like yesterday.

“Let me say every political office holder or politician knows that the first date in office is key because the citizens who elected you into office and those who did not elect you will begin to track your performance as a result of that. They can then decide whether or not to re-elect you.

“Concerning whether we will be re-elected, as a democrat and my personal view, we have always canvassed that unless His Excellency President Bola Tinubu will not contest, the APC government is bound to be represented by our candidate in 2027 to fly the flag for the simple reason that I want to bring up. And, of course, there is the incumbency factor.”

PUNCH