Opposition parties have criticised the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari, after he expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would win re-election in 2027 and that the APC would remain in power beyond 2031.

Yari made the statement in Abuja after returning from an overseas trip, saying the APC would fulfil its campaign promises and retain its position as the country’s dominant political party.

However, opposition parties including the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and Peoples Democratic Party dismissed the claim as overconfident and unrealistic.

Former presidential candidate Peter Ameh said the statement showed the APC was detached from the economic realities facing Nigerians, while the ADC accused Yari of trying to justify his new appointment.

The NDC, SDP and NNPP also stressed that the power to determine who remains in office rests with Nigerian voters. The PDP, meanwhile, described Yari as overzealous and urged him to focus on delivering the mandate given to him before making projections about future elections.

Former APGA chairman Chekwas Okorie further cautioned Yari against making predictions about 2027, recalling that the PDP had previously boasted of ruling Nigeria for 60 years before eventually losing power.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Christopher Musa reaffirmed his commitment to the APC campaign while maintaining that his primary responsibility remained the protection of Nigeria’s territorial integrity and the lives and property of citizens.