Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that it risks losing control of nine states in the 2027 governorship elections unless the party and its governors strengthen their political structures.
Ayodele, in a statement issued through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, cautioned the APC against assuming that its current dominance across several states would automatically translate into electoral victories in 2027.
According to him, the next general election will be more complex than previous polls, with technology expected to play a significant role in determining the outcome. “APC cannot sweep the whole states in the coming election; it’s not possible. There will be some things that will happen in the process of the election. The election will be complicated in some ways, and technology will be one of the ways”, he said.
The cleric specifically identified Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger and Nasarawa as states where the ruling party must intensify efforts to retain power. “Any governor who doesn’t stand well will lose, and APC must work very hard in the following states if they want to win: Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger and Nasarawa. APC must watch these states well”, he stated.
Ayodele further warned that the APC should not take any of the listed states for granted, saying the opposition was positioning itself to make significant electoral gains. “These states are not certain for APC governorship candidates to win and retain; they must work extraordinarily hard if they want to get it; otherwise, it will be swept away from them”, he added.
The APC emerged from the 2023 governorship elections with the highest number of governors nationwide. However, political developments since then, including defections, internal party disputes and new political alliances, have altered the landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Some of the states highlighted by Ayodele are already regarded as key battlegrounds. Kano remains one of Nigeria’s most politically strategic states because of its large voting population, while Plateau, Benue, Sokoto, Kaduna, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Niger have all witnessed closely contested elections in recent years.
Political analysts have also observed that incumbency alone may no longer guarantee electoral success, citing the 2023 general elections in which the APC retained the Lagos governorship but lost the state’s presidential vote to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.
