Political economist and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said he is better prepared to lead Nigeria than President Bola Tinubu and other prominent opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general election.
Utomi made the assertion on Sunday while appearing on Politics Today, where he reflected on his political journey, opposition coalition talks and what he described as Nigeria’s deepening democratic and governance crisis.
“Has it ever occurred to you that I am more qualified than all of them—Atiku, Obi, including Bola Tinubu—in terms of preparation to lead Nigeria?” Utomi said. “To be totally honest, I have never left the ADC since 2007.”
He recalled the ADC’s early attempts at coalition-building after the 2007 elections, noting that those efforts brought together figures who are now spread across different political platforms, including the ruling party.
“We went around trying to find people to come together after the 2007 run of the ADC,” he said, referencing earlier comments by ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu. “At one point, that effort included both the incumbent Tinubu and many of the people now in the ADC—the good, the bad and the ugly.”
According to Utomi, meaningful national progress can only be achieved through inclusive political engagement rather than exclusionary strategies.
“If we are going to make progress, it is important to bring everybody into the house,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also dismissed the growing belief that the defection of state governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would automatically guarantee electoral victories in 2027.
“Check how many APC governors actually won their states in the last election—very few,” he said. “The logic seems to be that if many governors defect, they can manipulate outcomes as was done in places like Port Harcourt. I want to tell you, it won’t be like that.”
Utomi warned that Nigeria’s continued democratic decline could have grave consequences if urgent reforms are not undertaken, cautioning against any attempt to subvert the will of voters in 2027.
“Nigeria cannot continue the way it has been,” he said, adding that electoral manipulation could provoke serious instability.
Drawing from his international engagements following the 2007 elections, Utomi recounted a conversation with global leaders who questioned the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
“When I ran in 2007, I was at a post-election lunch with former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin,” he said. “They asked me, ‘What do you people call what has just happened in your country?’ The world has long known that elections don’t really take place in Nigeria, and the country cannot continue like that.”
Utomi’s remarks come amid intensifying debate within the ADC and the wider opposition coalition over strategy and leadership ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Two weeks ago, another ADC chieftain and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, publicly criticised Utomi over comments on the party’s 2027 ticket and the political future of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Momodu reacted via his verified X account after Utomi warned in an earlier interview that he would withdraw his support for Obi if the former Anambra State governor accepted a vice-presidential slot in a proposed opposition coalition.
“Anyone insisting that Obi cannot run behind anyone is definitely not a democrat who wishes to rescue Nigeria from one-man dictatorship,” Momodu wrote.
While acknowledging his admiration for Utomi, Momodu argued that Nigerian politics requires strategic realism rather than rigid idealism as opposition forces seek to challenge the ruling party in 2027.
