Hakeem Baba-Ahmed: APC’s Osun Defeat Shows It Can Be Beaten in 2027

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said the defeat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Osun State governorship election showed that the ruling party could be unseated at the national level in the 2027 general elections.

Baba-Ahmed made the assertion on Wednesday while speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, arguing that opposition parties do not necessarily have to form a formal coalition to defeat the APC.

He pointed to the outcome of the Osun governorship election, where the opposition parties contested independently rather than under a single platform, yet the APC was defeated.

“APC was trounced in Osun; we didn’t even see a coalition, or collaboration, or a gang-up against APC, and yet APC was defeated,” he said.

According to him, the outcome demonstrated that the ruling party could be defeated through other forms of political cooperation and alliances, even where opposition parties do not formally merge or establish a coalition.

“There is no reason this cannot repeat itself at a national level,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He, however, acknowledged that defeating the APC in 2027 would be difficult, given the advantages enjoyed by an incumbent ruling party.

“So it’s actually going to be a tough one to unseat the APC. It will be. Anybody who tells you… But is that possible? Absolutely, but it’s not going to be easy,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed nevertheless expressed confidence that the APC could be defeated in the 2027 presidential election.

“But can it happen in 2027? Yes, certainly,” he added.

The PRP chairman disagreed with the suggestion that a complete opposition coalition was the only viable route to defeating President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.

While acknowledging that there was some merit in the argument for opposition unity, he said the legal and structural requirements for a formal coalition could make such an arrangement difficult at this stage.

He explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already registered the opposition parties as separate political entities, making it difficult for them to simply collapse their structures into one platform.

“Strictly speaking, when you use the word coalition, it implies some kind of legal and structural collapsing of boundaries. And it’s a bit late for that,” Baba-Ahmed said.

“The INEC has registered all of us as individual parties. It’s difficult to coalesce around anything. But there are all sorts of other relationships and alliances that can be built.”

He said opposition parties were therefore examining different options for working together ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We’re looking at all the options that are available,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed also dismissed speculation that the outcome of the Osun election may have been influenced by an alleged political understanding between President Tinubu and Governor Ademola Adeleke.

He said claims that Tinubu had supported Adeleke’s re-election in exchange for political backing in 2027 were not credible.

“We don’t believe that. We believe that the ruling party, Accord party, defeated APC comprehensively,” he said.

The PRP chairman maintained that although the Osun election was an off-season poll with circumstances different from a nationwide election, its outcome nevertheless offered an important political lesson for opposition parties.

For him, the key lesson is that the APC can be defeated even without opposition parties presenting a single, formally unified front.

With the 2027 general elections approaching, Baba-Ahmed said opposition groups and parties were already exploring possible relationships and alliances that could improve their chances against the ruling party.

His comments come amid continuing efforts by opposition parties and political groups to determine the most effective strategy for challenging the APC in the next presidential election.