2027: I Won’t Offer Opposition Parties Red Carpet, We’ll Wrestle To The Finishing Point — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has declared that he will not make the 2027 general election an easy contest for opposition parties, insisting that politics remains a contest in which every participant must fight to the end.

Speaking in a trending video uploaded by Channels Television, the President dismissed suggestions that he would create an enabling path for his rivals, saying politics is a contest of strategy and resilience.

Speaking on the political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 polls, Tinubu expressed confidence in the integrity of the electoral process, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remains impartial.

“I asked for this job and I mean it. Those who will take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics and it’s equal opportunity. INEC is neutral; they’ve never intimidated anybody,” he said.

“I won’t offer them a red carpet… We will wrestle each other to the finishing point.”

President Bola Tinubu says political opponents seeking to challenge him in 2027 should expect a tough contest, declaring that INEC remains neutral and all is fair in politics. pic.twitter.com/xrx5OgJqrb

— Channels Television (@channelstv) July 29, 2026

NAIJAONPOINT reports that the Tinubu administration has, in recent months, come under heavy criticisms from opposition parties over allegations that it is working to weaken rival political platforms ahead of the 2027 general election.

Several opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and other have accused the Federal Government of encouraging or exploiting internal crises within major opposition parties in what they describe as a calculated attempt to fragment the opposition before the polls. According to the critics, the recurring leadership disputes form part of a broader strategy to reduce the chances of a united challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Some have further argued that the alleged political manoeuvres are aimed at securing the APC’s hold on power beyond the 2027 elections through a second Tinubu term.

The Presidency and the APC have repeatedly rejected the allegations, maintaining that the internal crises confronting opposition parties are self-inflicted and not orchestrated by the Federal Government.

Responding to the criticisms, Tinubu suggested that his political opponents were being troubled more by their own internal uncertainties than by his administration.

“If political opponents are crying wolf, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainties in the company they keep, not me,” he said.

Reaffirming his readiness for the electoral contest, the President said he would not make the path to power easy for any opposition candidate.

“I’m ready to play, but I won’t give them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me. No! We will wrestle each other to the finishing point,” Tinubu declared.

Tinubu said his administration had made measurable progress since assuming office, arguing that the economy had stabilised and that Nigerians were beginning to witness improvements in their standard of living.

“This government has stabilised and there is prosperity on the rise. The quality of life is improving,” he said.

The President also reflected on Nigeria’s founding fathers, saying the present generation has a responsibility to preserve and strengthen the nation they built for those yet unborn.

“Our founding fathers did their best. They left us a nation and we owe it to our generations yet unborn to build a nation of unity, stability and prosperity for the future,” he stated.

Highlighting developments in the education sector, Tinubu pointed to the absence of industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as one of his administration’s achievements.

“You can’t say a four-year course is not four years. ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to your homes. Is that not answered prayers? To me, that’s an answer,” he said.

On the nation’s security challenges, Tinubu acknowledged that the country still faces difficulties but maintained that his government remains committed to addressing them.

“The security situation is what it is. We don’t have another country but here, this Nigeria,” he said, adding that Nigerians must continue to draw strength from their diversity.

“I know the challenges are there. I inherited them. I didn’t run away.”

Credit: Channels Television