By Dauda Adamu
The ADC-led coalition scrambles to draw parallels with 2015; it overlooks Tinubu’s deeply entrenched party machinery, bold reforms initiated yielding positive impacts, strategic appointments and broadening faith-based alliances, attributes that set him leagues apart from Jonathan and position him for a decisive 2027 victory….
*Note:* to those who may hastily dismiss my observations as partisan enthusiasm or mere loyalty or for being a Tinubu Supporter or an APC Chieftain, it should be cleared, these thoughts are not born out of sentiment, but from an informed and experienced understanding of Nigeria’s political architecture. I write not as an outsider looking in, but as one who has participated, observed, and engaged firsthand with the shifting dynamics of our party politics and governance. I have witnessed the patterns, the pitfalls, and the players across administrations and electoral cycles. What I offer here is not wishful thinking, but a product of close political study, lived experience, and strategic insight that only proximity to power can provide…
Hence, as the noise continues to take the centre stage and coalition sympathisers are becoming overexcited, however, as the 2027 general election is beginning to shape the political conversation in Nigeria, as a recurring yet flawed narrative is resurfacing- that *President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s current challenges mirror those of former President Goodluck Jonathan before his 2015 defeat.* Those peddling this notion argue that the economy, public perception, coalition formation, and internal party issues will undermine Tinubu just as they did Jonathan. But this is a gross miscalculation. *President Tinubu is not Jonathan*. He is, in fact, the master of Nigerian politics, and his case heading into 2027 is not only different, it is structurally stronger, institutionally deeper, and politically more strategic.
*Unlike Jonathan, who came into office through an elite compromise, accidental circumstances and remained detached from the grassroots forces that could have secured his second term,* Tinubu is a product of political architecture, not accident. His journey to the presidency was built over decades of networking, investing in people, empowering future leaders, and erecting party structures from the ward to the national level. While Jonathan was deserted by his own party faithful and betrayed by internal actors, Tinubu enjoys deep-rooted loyalty within the APC; loyalty that is being visibly rewarded and sustained.
One of the boldest and most politically intelligent moves President Tinubu has made since assuming office is correcting the systemic neglect of party loyalists and stakeholders that defined the Buhari years. For nearly eight years, countless APC foot soldiers, campaign leaders, and party professionals were left unrewarded under the previous administration. This created an atmosphere of resentment and erosion of morale within the base.
President Tinubu wasted no time in reversing this. Within his first year, he initiated and approved the appointment of hundreds of qualified APC members to strategic boards, commissions, agencies, and parastatals. From TETFUND to NDDC, NPA, REA, NIMASA, and many others, party faithful across the six geopolitical zones have now found their names on federal boards and leadership structures, marking a return to inclusive governance and internal cohesion.
These appointments were not just administrative formalities; they were clear messages to the APC family: *“Loyalty will be acknowledged. Sacrifice will be rewarded.”* This restoration of confidence within the party’s rank and file is already paying dividends. Mobilisation efforts would likely be improved. Party organs are reinvigorated. Field structures are once again active. Many aggrieved members are returning. And more are aligning quietly, in anticipation of what is clearly a more responsible and responsive leadership at the top.
Furthermore, expectations are high within diplomatic circles that President Tinubu will soon release a new list of ambassadorial nominees interestingly, another key opportunity to reward technocrats, political allies, regional stakeholders, and diaspora bridges who share in his vision. Unlike the opaque and often sidelined processes of the past, this coming wave of appointments is expected to reflect both merit and political strategy; strengthening Nigeria’s image abroad while reinforcing the President’s support base at home.
This clear departure from the Buhari era’s aloofness has also ignited renewed hope among Governors, National Assembly members, and core party leaders, many of whom now feel seen, respected, and carried along. Several Governors from opposition parties have already started soft alignments, and the recent defections of Senators, Representatives, and key political figures into the APC is proof that Tinubu is gradually rebuilding a broad national tent.
Added to this is Tinubu’s successful neutralisation of the initial anxieties around the Muslim-Muslim ticket. What was once controversial is now a non-issue. *By appointing Christians into strategic and sensitive roles, engaging faith-based leaders, and offering political space to previously perceived marginalised blocs, President Tinubu has closed a once-dangerous fault line*. Notably, Catholic leadership across the country, particularly in the North-Central and South-East, has begun to warm up to his inclusive governance, especially given the professionalism and balance reflected in key appointments.
Also important is the contrast in electoral strategy. Jonathan, in 2015, struggled with internal rebellion within the PDP. Governors defected, campaign funds dried up in many states, and his team became reactive rather than proactive. Tinubu, by contrast, is consolidating control over state structures, national party organs, and legislative influence. His ability to have won the 2023 election against all odds; defeating a sitting Vice President in the primaries, a former Vice President in the general election, and an insurgent populist movement, proves that he is not just occupying power; he is owning it.
In economic terms, while President Tinubu inherited a struggling economy with structural distortions and security/global challenges, he has taken bold steps to confront those problems. He ended the fuel subsidy, a long-standing economic black hole that cost the nation trillions annually. He unified the exchange rate, road infrastructure development, health, and security and has narrowed the arbitrage loopholes, and began the push for industrial and tax reforms. These are not cheap populist gestures. They are difficult reformist choices that position Nigeria for long-term stability. Nigerians, especially the political class, understand that tough decisions are sometimes the hallmark of true leadership.
The Tinubu presidency is not one marred by internal sabotage. It is not directionless.
It is not aloof. It is not a repetition of Jonathan’s last days. Instead, it is a government that learns, adapts, rewards, and reorganises.
*Come 2027, President Tinubu will not be contesting like a man at the mercy of elite goodwill.* He will be contesting as the incumbent President of a fully reactivated ruling party, backed by a grateful base, growing middle-class support, recovering religious trust, and a fragmented opposition without a unifying figure.
While fully aware of how politics works and the importance of never taking any moment for granted, it is safe to say that the Tinubu we know would not lose sleep. *He is a strategist who thrives under pressure, adapts quickly, and anticipates outcomes before others begin to plan. His calm is not complacency; it is calculated confidence.*
With the APC now led by a seasoned and grounded *Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Dr. Ali Bukar Dalori*, the party remains in capable hands. Dalori’s deep connection to the grassroots, especially across Northern Nigeria, complements the President’s national outreach and long-term vision. Together, they form a leadership structure that understands the stakes and knows how to mobilise effectively.
*Much will be done in the coming months.* Strategic decisions will be taken. Realignments will be forged. Aggrieved stakeholders will be reintegrated. *These moves will keep the APC dominant, cohesive, and future-focused. Political structures will be re-energised, new alliances formed, and electoral ground game consolidated.*
In this light, *President Tinubu’s path to a second term is not only realistic, it is actively unfolding through deliberate planning, national inclusivity, and bold reforms.* The man who built Lagos, nurtured a generation of leaders, and shaped the ruling party is now shaping his re-election carefully, purposefully, and unrelentingly.
He is not just holding office. *He is exercising power with clarity and intent. And come 2027, Nigeria may once again affirm that Tinubu remains the undisputed master of the nation’s political terrain.*
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not Jonathan. He is the strategist, the builder, the rewarder, and
the reformer. In the game of Nigerian politics, no one survives a well-prepared Tinubu, not even history.
Hon. Dauda Adamu, FDMSS, Ph.D. (in view) is National Coordinator, APC National Stability Project Director-General, Tinubu National Alliance for 2027 (TNA’27)
