Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Communication and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Lere Olayinka has dismissed claims that the opposition poses a serious threat to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Olayinka also a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) media team said growing support for Tinubu across political parties within the Rainbow Coalition signals increasing confidence in the President’s leadership.
Speaking on Monday during a live broadcast on AIT’s political programme Democracy Today he defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s political engagements across the country saying the administration’s supporters were building grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 general election.
Lere argued that political contests are won through visibility effective mobilisation and a strong grassroots presence not social media campaigns.
‘In this election cycle I am only seeing one person contesting. I’m not seeing other people’ Olayinka said.
He challenged opposition figures to demonstrate their political strength beyond online activities stressing that physical engagement with voters remained critical to electoral success.
Olayinka cited the minister’s engagements across Rivers State and the FCT’s six area councils including Bwari Kuje Gwagwalada Kwali and Abaji as evidence of the coalition’s grassroots mobilisation.
Defending the Rainbow Coalition he said the alliance had brought together politicians and supporters from different political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Accord Party in support of Tinubu’s re-election.
‘For the first time in the history of this country people from other parties are openly saying this President has done so well’ he said.
He added that the coalition was built around a common political objective insisting that cooperation among different parties in support of the President should not be mistaken for a merger.
‘There is a coalition; there is cooperation concerning the election of the President. That is the point of agreement and nobody is disputing that’ he said.
The FCT minister’s aide also maintained that electoral victories in Nigeria depend largely on grassroots structures and effective election-day mobilisation rather than social media activities.
Speaking on the Tinubu administration’s performance Olayinka urged Nigerians to acknowledge progress in infrastructure electricity supply and exchange-rate stability.
He cited the completion of the Apo-Karshi Road in Abuja as one of the administration’s infrastructure achievements.
Olayinka said the government’s responsibility is to create an enabling environment for development urging Nigerians to recognise the administration’s efforts and build on them.