Abaribe added that politicians and supporters of Tinubu cannot openly declare their support for the President in their hometowns and communities because of fear of backlash.
The Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has declared that President Bola Tinubu will lose in the 2027 general elections because "he never won in 2023."
Abaribe added that politicians and supporters of Tinubu cannot openly declare their support for the President in their hometowns and communities because of fear of backlash.
He made the remarks on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
According to him, public anger over hardship, economic challenges and insecurity under President Tinubu’s administration has made it difficult for his supporters to openly identify with him in their villages.
“I come from Aba in Abia State, and I was discussing this particular thing that oh, APC has this government, and people were a little worried,” Abaribe said.
“Most of the people saying they are supporting Tinubu cannot go to their homes and say it; they can’t, because they would be stoned if they did. People are suffering. The suffering is monumental,” he added.
The lawmaker further criticised the state of the economy and security, describing the situation as unprecedented.
“We have never had this before. Not just the suffering, the whole economy has collapsed. The security is a nightmare. Where then would you get that vote from?” he asked.
Abaribe also recounted a discussion involving former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to illustrate his point.
“I come from Aba. I was discussing that the APC has this government and that government, and people were a little worried, and I asked one of them a question.
“In fact, that question was asked by former governor Peter Obi. He asked one of them, he said, this Abaribe here, will he go to Ariaria market and tell them to vote for Bola Tinubu? He can’t try it,” he said.
Reiterating his earlier point, Senator Abaribe added, “Most of the people saying they are supporting Tinubu cannot go to their homes and say it. They can’t, why? Because they would be stoned when they go to say such a thing.”
Abaribe also expressed confidence that President Tinubu would be defeated in the 2027 general election, insisting that the President did not secure a genuine victory in the 2023 polls.
“Tinubu will lose in the 2027 election; he never won in 2023,” Abaribe said.
“We are going to meet him in the field, and we will see how he will couple together that thing that will make him win again; it won’t work.”
President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was controversially declared the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), defeating candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
The outcome of the election was widely contested by opposition parties, which challenged Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and later at the Supreme Court.
The courts upheld Tinubu’s election, affirming him as the duly elected president.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Tinubu’s administration has implemented major economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange rates.
While the government has defended the policies as necessary to stabilise the economy, critics argue that the reforms have worsened the cost of living and deepened hardship for many Nigerians.
Abaribe, a former Senate Minority Leader and a member of the opposition, has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration and is also a close ally of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.