Ex-INEC Commissioner Lai Olurode Predicts Landslide Win for Tinubu in 2027, Cites Security and Infrastructure Gains
Retired Professor of Sociology and former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Lai Olurode, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will secure a landslide victory in the 2027 presidential election, citing a combination of improved security, infrastructural development, and a more favourable political climate compared to 2023.
Olurode made the prediction in a written statement titled “My Arguments for President Tinubu’s Re-election Bid,” shared with journalists. In the statement, he argued that Tinubu’s prospects for re-election have strengthened considerably since his first term began, pointing to what he described as the president’s demonstrated political courage in retaining the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2023 despite significant opposition to the arrangement at the time.
The former INEC commissioner also placed Tinubu’s 2023 performance in context, noting that the president contested that election without the full backing of his own party, alleging that some state governors distanced themselves from his candidacy and that no federal resources were deployed in his favour during that campaign. According to Olurode, these circumstances make Tinubu’s current political position notably stronger heading into 2027.
On policy, Olurode praised the president for removing the petrol subsidy, describing him as a leader willing to make difficult decisions rather than rely on populist measures. He also credited the administration with recorded improvements in national security, crediting enhanced intelligence gathering and sustained military operations with weakening banditry in various parts of the country.
Turning to infrastructure, Olurode noted that the administration had nearly completed 6,000 kilometres of road projects in under four years, a figure he contrasted with the more than 9,000 kilometres completed over former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office. However, he acknowledged notable shortcomings in other sectors, stating that the health sector required stronger government intervention and calling on the administration to reverse the declining share of the federal budget allocated to education in 2025 and 2026.
Olurode further addressed the APC’s recent electoral setback in Osun State, offering an interpretation of the result that differed from those suggesting it signaled broader vulnerability for the ruling party ahead of 2027. Taken together, he argued that these various factors position Tinubu to potentially secure a stronger electoral performance in 2027 than he achieved in the 2023 election.
Olurode’s prediction adds to a growing chorus of pro-Tinubu voices projecting confidence in the president’s re-election chances. Other APC-aligned figures have similarly forecast landslide outcomes in specific regions, including the South-West, while some party stakeholders have gone further, predicting that Tinubu could sweep victories across all 36 states in the 2027 election.
As Nigeria’s political actors continue jostling ahead of the January 2027 presidential poll, where Tinubu is expected to face prominent challengers including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, predictions such as Olurode’s are likely to remain part of the broader contest over public perception heading into the election.
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