Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has claimed that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would be a tougher opponent for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election than former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Bashir argued that Obi’s widespread popularity and strong youth support give him an advantage over Atiku.
He suggested that Obi, paired with a strong northern running mate, could defeat Tinubu decisively.
“Atiku is a force to be reckoned with, and he may believe the timing is finally right for him. But Obi’s massive following and appeal among young voters make him a bigger threat,” Bashir wrote.
This statement comes weeks after Nasir El-Rufai and other opposition leaders, including Atiku, Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi, formed a coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
