2027: Candidates, Masquerades, Spoilers And Clowns

In Nigeria's 2027 general election, three major candidates - Peter Obi of the NDC, Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, and incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the APC - are competing for the top position. This is a three-way race, unlike previous elections where only two frontrunners typically emerge. Obi's surge in the 2023 election, where he narrowly lost to Tinubu, has made him the dominant figure in the upcoming election. He has formed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and gained significant momentum within the party.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar of the ADC has adopted a strategy of criticizing the APC's failures over the past three years, specifically targeting fuel subsidies and student loan bonds. His attacks on Tinubu have unsettled the incumbent, who is currently on vacation in Europe. The APC's campaign council has been criticized for containing individuals with questionable pasts, including embezzlement and involvement in criminal activities.

This has led to the scrapping of the initial list and a delay in forming a proper campaign strategy.

The remaining candidates can be described as jokers, masquerades, spoilers, or clowns. Among them, Donald Duke, who has aligned himself with the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), is a notable figure. If he had been chosen as President Olusegun Obasanjo's running mate in 2006, he might have been elevated to the status of a former president instead of Goodluck Jonathan.