By Osaretin Osadebamwen
Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman to the ADC presidential candidate, has questioned whether Nigerians would willingly vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election amid rising petrol prices and the naira’s depreciation.
Okonkwo argued that the economic situation would influence voters when they head to the polls, insisting that Nigerians would judge the government based on the cost of living and the impact of its policies.
He made the argument while assessing the ADC’s performance in the Osun governorship election and the opposition’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, the APC’s political strength would not automatically translate into electoral support if Nigerians remained dissatisfied with the economy.
“Who will vote for 1,300 and something per litre of oil?” Okonkwo asked.
He also questioned the naira’s performance against the United States dollar, contrasting the current exchange rate with the figures inherited by the Tinubu administration.
“Who will vote for 1,400 naira to dollar when they inherited about 190-something per price and inherited about 500 naira as the exchange rate?” he said.
Okonkwo argued that the economic realities confronting Nigerians could become a major issue in the 2027 presidential contest.
His comments came as he defended the ADC’s performance in the Osun governorship election, where the party finished a distant third despite the involvement of its leading figures, including former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
The ADC spokesman maintained that the party’s focus was broader than the Osun governorship election, stressing that presidential elections were fundamentally different because they involved voters across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He also maintained that the APC had already suffered significant political setbacks in Osun and predicted that the party would face further opposition in 2027.
For Okonkwo, the economic condition of Nigerians remains one of the issues that could shape that contest, particularly as voters assess the effects of fuel price increases and exchange-rate pressures on their daily lives.
The ADC spokesman said the opposition was preparing to defend its votes at polling units and ensure that the outcome of the 2027 election reflects the will of Nigerians.
